/"lERKEttY 

LIBRARY 
or 


BOOKS  BY 

MARGARET  SIDNEY 

A  LITTLE  MAID  OF  CONCORD  TOWN 

Illustrated  by  Frank  T.  Merrill 

A  LITTLE  MAID  OF  BOSTON  TOWN 

Illustrated  by  Frank  T.  Merrill 

THE  FAMOUS  PEPPER  BOOKS 

IN     ORDER     OF     PUBLICATION 
Twelve  Volumes         Illustrated 

FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  AND  HOW  THEY  GREW 
FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  MIDWAY 
FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  GROWN  UP 
PHRONSIE  PEPPER 
THE  STORIES  POLLY  PEPPER  TOLD 
THE  ADVENTURES  OF  JOEL  PEPPER 
FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  ABROAD 
FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  AT  SCHOOL 
FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  AND  THEIR  FRIENDS 
BEN  PEPPER 

FIVE   LITTLE   PEPPERS    IN   THE   LITTLE   BROWN 
HOUSE 

OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 


LOTHROP,   LEE    &    SHEPARD   CO,   BOSTON 


'Mr!  DON'T  you  HEAR  THE  LOGS  CRACKLE,  AND  ISN'T  THIS  BLAZE 

PERFECTLY   BEAUTIFUL  I"— Page  124. 


OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 


BY 

MARGARET  ^SIDNEY 

AUTHOR  or  "FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  AND  How  THEY  GREW,' 

44  FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  MIDWAY,"  "  FIVE  LITTLE 

PEPPERS  GROWN  UP,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  ALICE  BARBER   STEPHENS 


BOSTON 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 


PEPPER 

TRADE-MARK 

Registered  in  U.S.  Patent  Office 


EDUC-PSYCH 


Copyright,  1916 
BY  HARRIETT  M.  LOTHROF 


All  rights  reserved 
Published,  August,  1916 
OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 


Horwoofc  press 

BERWICK  &  SMITH  CO. 

NORWOOD,   MASS. 
U.  8.   A. 


1*7 


PREFACE 

I  often  run  down  to  Badgertown  and  into  the 
little  brown  house  to  talk  things  over  with  the 
Peppers,  and  every  single  time  they  one  and 
all  tell  me  they  don't  think  I  have  told  enough 
about  David. 

It  quite  cut  me  to  the  heart  the  other  day  to 
hear  Polly  say  mournfully,  "  You've  made  a 
book  about  Ben  and  one  about  Phronsie,  and 
you've  told  all  about  Joel's  Adventures,  and 
stories  that  I  made  up ;  and  you  never  let  Davie 
have  a  book  —  and  he  is  our  Dame." 

"Oh,  I  will,  Polly  — I  will!"  I  promised. 
And  she  laughed  gleefully,  and  Ben  smiled  in 
great  satisfaction,  and  Joel  said :  "  Whickets ! 
Now,  Dave,  you're  going  to  have  a  book  all  to 
yourself."  And  Phronsie  crowed  and  gurgled, 
and  made  a  cheese  right  in  the  middle  of  the  old 
kitchen  floor.  As  for  Mother  Pepper,  the 
look  she  gave  me,  well  —  wasn't  I  glad  that 
I  had  promised! 


09915 


PREFACE 

But  David  ran  up  to  me  and  whispered,  "  I'd 
rather  you  made  another  book  about  Joel." 

"I  can't,  Davie,"  I  whispered  back,  "the 
children  all  over  the  country  have  been  teasing 
me  for  years  to  give  them  a  book  about  you. 
And  now  as  all  the  rest  of  the  Pepper  family 
want  it,  why,  you  see,  I  just  must  write  it." 

"O  dear!  "said  David. 

Polly  ran  over  to  our  corner.  "  Dear  Mar- 
garet Sidney,"  she  begged,  clasping  her  hands, 
"please  tell  all  about  Davie  when  he  was  a 
little  boy.  That's  what  we  want ;  because  you 
see  you  told  ever  so  much  more  about  the  rest 
of  us  than  you  did  about  him.  And  Davie 
was  always  just  splendid!  Why,  he  was  our 
Davie!" 

So  now  here  is  "  Our  Davie  Pepper,"  just  as 
the  Little  Brown  House  people  wanted  me  to 
write  it. 

MARGARET  SIDNEY. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  DAVIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS  .     .     .     .      i 

II  MRS.   PEPPER  ATTENDS  TO  THE  MATTER    15 

III  THE    DARK    CLOUD    OVER    THE    LITTLE 

BROWN  HOUSE 30 

IV  SUNLIGHT  THROUGH  THE  CLOUD  ...    47 
V    ON   THE  MAYBURY   ROAD 68 

VI    BACK   TO   MAMSIE 84 

VII    "GOOD-BY,   CHILDREN" 101 

VIII    "OLD  FATHER   DUBBIN" 118 

IX    THE  OLD   BOOK   Box 134 

X    MARY  POTE  HELPS 149 

XI    "To   TRY   TO   LEARN" 163 

XII    HOP  o*  MY  THUMB 177 

XIII  "DON'T  HURT  HIM" 192 

XIV  IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM 206 

XV    "AND  SEE  MY  SLATE" 223 

XVI    AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S 239 

XVII    THE  FISHING  PARTY 255 

XVIII    DANGER 269 

XIX  " POLLY  KISSED  IT!"  SAID  DAVIE  ...  28^ 

XX    JOEL'S   COMPANY 206 

XXI    AT  FARMER  BROWN'S 312 

v 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII    THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY 326 

XXIII  THE  UNINVITED  GUEST 34^ 

XXIV  GREAT-GRANDMOTHER  PEPPER'S  BEADS    .  355 
XXV    JIMMY 37o 

XXVI  THE  CIRCUS     .  1.VU  -  .     .  '«-^;.     .  384 

XXVII    MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS 398 

XXVIII  DAVID'S  CAP     .     .    ^  w  >^  V  .     .     .421 

XXIX  THE  STORY  IN  THE  SHOE-SHOP   ...  441 

XXX  THE  LETTER     .     .     ;<  .     .     .     .    >.     .456 

XXXI  WORKING  HARD  TO  KEEP  CHEERY  .     .     .474 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

My !  don't  you  hear  the  logs  crackle, 
and  isn't  this  blaze  perfectly  beau- 
tiful!" .  .  .  (Page  124)  Frontispiece 


TAOINQ 

PAGE 


"  He  told  me  to  write  things  that  folks  asked 
for  on  the  slate,"  said  David  .  .  .  .  188 

"You  may  pick  out  the  one  you  like  best," 
said  Miss  Parrott 234 

"Dave  caught  that.  Dave  caught  that  all 
by  himself !  " 272 

Pretty  soon  he  was  stitching  away  and  cob- 
bling at  a  great  rate,  Davie  swinging  his 
stocking- foot 434 

They  all  held  their  breath  to  catch  every 
word,  and  Davie  began 490 


OUR   DAVIE   PEPPER 

CHAPTER  I 
DAVIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS 

*  6lV/rY  sakes !    David  Pepper,  you  can't  get 

-Lyl  it  in." 

"  Perhaps  I  can,  Mrs.  Peters/' 

"  No,  you  can't.  There,  give  it  to  me. 
You're  all  het  up,  runnin'  on  arrants  for  Mr. 
Atkins.  He  shouldn't  'a'  told  you  to  hurry 
clear  down  here  from  th'  store." 

David  sank  down  on  the  wooden  box  turned 
upside  down  outside  the  Peters  kitchen  door, 
and  watched  Mrs.  Peters's  vigorous  efforts  to 
crowd  a  long  woolen  coat,  very  much  frayed 
on  the  edge,  one  sleeve  gone,  and  various  other 
dilapidations  that  might  be  noticed,  into  a 
round,  splint-bottomed  basket.  "  Your  ma  c'n 
do  th'  mendin'  better'n  me,"  she  said,  during 
the  process,  and  dropping  her  voice  as  her  eyes 


2  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

roved  anxiously.  "  I  put  th'  pieces  under* 
neath.  O  my !  "  she  whirled  around  suddenly, 
her  back  to  the  basket,  and  brought  up  a  red 
face.  "  How  you  scar't  me,  Tildy ! "  as  the 
kitchen  door  was  flung  wide  and  a  head  thrust 
out. 

"  'Tain't  Pa  —  you  needn't  be  afraid."  Yet 
Tildy  looked  over  her  shoulder  and  grasped  her 
apron  tighter  over  something  huddled  up  within 
its  folds,  as  she  skipped  over  the  big  flat  stone. 
"  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  he's  well  off 
toward  the  south  medder." 

"  'Tain't  no  thin'  to  be  certain  sure  of ,  if  your 
pa  is  headed  for  th'  south  medder,  that  he 
won't  see  what  we're  doin'  here,"  said  her 
mother  hopelessly.  "  Well,  what  you  got  in 
your  apron  ?  " 

Matilda  knelt  down  by  the  basket  on  the 
grass,  and  flung  her  apron  wide.  "  It's  some  o' 
my  quince  sass." 

"  You  ain't  goin'  to  give  that  away !  "  cried 
Mrs.  Peters  in  alarm,  and  resting  both  hands 
on  her  knees.  "  Gracious,  your  pa  — " 

"Let  Pa  alone,  can't  you?"  cried  Matilda 
lifting  the  coat-edge  to  tuck  in  the  big  glass 
jar.  "  I  guess  he  won't  rage  an'  ramp  no  more 


DA  VIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS     3 

at  th'  sass,  than  your  lettin'  Mis  Pepper  mend 
this  coat." 

"  Well,  I  d'no.  Sass  is  sass,  an'  your  pa 
knows  how  many  jars  you  put  up  —  O  dear  me, 
Matilda ! "  She  gazed  helplessly  off  toward 
the  south  meadow. 

Davie  got  off  from  the  wooden  box.  "  Oh 
don't,  Mrs.  Peters/'  he  begged  in  great  dis- 
tress, "  send  the  jelly  to  Mamsie." 

"  'Tain't  jell  —  it's  sass/'  said  Matilda,  push- 
ing the  jar  in  further,  and  flapping  the  coat 
till  it  bulged  over  the  basket.  "  An'  I  guess 
I  ain't  goin'  to  let  your  ma  have  all  them 
measles  to  your  house,  an*  not  do  nothhr. 
There — "  She  jumped  to  her  feet.  "You 
got  to  carry  it  careful,  Davie.  It's  too  bad 
there  ain't  no  handle."  She  twitched  the 
frayed  cord  that  served  as  one,  "I'll  get  another 
string." 

"  Come  back  here,  Tilly,"  cried  her  mother. 
"  Ain't  you  crazy !  Your  pa'll  be  back.  Let 
Davie  go." 

Matilda  turned  away  from  the  kitchen  door. 
"  Ain't  you  silly,  Ma ! "  yet  she  came  back. 
"Well  there,  run  along,  Davie,  an'  carry  it 
careful." 


4  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  An*  you  tell  your  ma,"  said  Mrs.  Peters, 
"  we're  sorry  she's  got  all  the  measles  to  her 
house,  an'  she  c'n  mend  my  coat  better'n  me, 
an'  she  mustn't  tell  no  one  it's  for  Mis  Peters, 
an'—" 

"  Land,  Ma,  th'  boy  can't  remember  all  that," 
said  Matilda,  giving  David  a  little  push. 

"  I  guess  I  can  —  I'll  try  to,"  said  David, 
grasping  the  old  worn  string  with  both  hands. 

"  You  go  along,"  said  Matilda,  with  another 
push,  "an'  if  you  see  Pa  comin'  along  any- 
where, you  set  th'  basket  in  behind  th'  bushes 
till  he  gits  by.  Remember,  David  Pepper ! " 

"  Yes,"  said  David.     "  I'll  remember." 

"Well,  now  come  along,  Ma  Peters,"  said 
Matilda ;  "  he  hain't  spilled  th'  things  yit,  an' 
he's  turned  th'  road.  We've  got  to  git  back 
to  work." 

"  'Twouldn't  be  so  bad  ef  you  hadn't  put  in 
that  quince  sass,  Tildy,"  mourned  her  mother, 
picking  up  her  worn  calico  gown  to  step  over 
a  puddle  of  water  from  a  broken  drain-pipe. 
"  But  I'm  awful  skeered  about  that." 

"  Oh,  Ma,  you  make  me  sick."  Matilda  gave 
her  a  little  push  into  the  kitchen,  slipped  in 
after  her,  and  slammed  the  door ;  but  her  hand 


DAVIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS     5 

shook  as  she  took  up  the  broom.  "  I'm  goin' 
to  work  anyhow.  You  c'n  set  an'  worry  about 
Pa,  ef  you  want  to.  I'm  glad  for  my  part,  that 
Mis  Pepper's  goin'  to  have  that  basket  o' 
things." 

"So  be  I,"  cried  Mrs.  Peters.  "Land 
sakes!  I  guess  I'm  as  glad  as  you  be,  Tildy 
Peters.  An'  I  s'pose  Davie's  gittin'  along  to- 
wards home  pretty  fast  by  this  time." 

Matilda  shook  her  head  and  pursed  up  her 
lips  as  she  went  out  to  sweep  the  back  entry. 
"  All  the  same,  I  wish  Davie  Pepper  was  safe 
home  to  the  little  brown  house,"  she  said  to 
herself. 

The  old  cord  cut  into  Davie's  fingers  as  he 
trudged  along  the  winding  road,  the  basket 
wobbling  about  from  side  to  side;  but  every 
step  was  bringing  him  home  to  Mamsie,  and 
he  smiled  as  he  went  along. 

"  Hey  there ! "  a  sudden  turn  of  the  road 
brought  him  squarely  before  a  tall  gaunt  old 
man  leaning  against  the  stone  wall  on  the  other 
side  of  a  scrub  oak. 

"  Where  you  ben  ?  "  demanded  Old  Man 
Peters. 

"Just  — just— "  began  David. 


6  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Jest  where?  Stop  your  hemmin'  an* 
hawin'.  Where  you  ben  ?  " 

Davie  clutched  the  basket  with  trembling 
fingers  and  a  wild  despair  that  it  was  now  too 
late  to  consider  bushes. 

"  You  ben  down  to  my  house,  I  know."  Old 
Man  Peters's  little  eyes  gleamed  fiercely. 
"  Well,  what  you  got  in  that  basket  ?  "  pointing 
to  it. 

"It's  —  it's— " 

"It's— -it's—  Didn't  I  tell  you  to  stop 
hemmin'  an'  ha  win',  you  Pepper  Boy !  I'll  give 
you  somethin'  to  hem  an'  haw  for  pretty  soon, 
ef  you  don't  look  out."  He  broke  off  a  stick 
from  the  scrub  oak. 

Davie  clutched  the  old  string  tighter  yet. 

"  Let's  see,"  said  Old  Man  Peters,  drawing 
close  to  poke  up  a  corner  of  the  coat  with  the 
stick. 

"  You  mustn't,"  said  Davie,  drawing  back, 
and  putting  one  hand  over  the  top  of  the 
basket. 

"  Mustn't,"  roared  Old  Man  Peters,  shaking 
the  stick  at  him. 

"  No,"  said  Davie.     "  You  mustn't,"  and  he 


DA  VIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS    7 

tried  to  edge  off  farther;  but  the  stick  came 
down  across  his  little  calico  blouse. 

"  I'll  give  you  somethin'  to  make  you  see 
that  you  can't  say  '  mustn't '  to  me,"  said  Mr. 
Peters,  bringing  the  stick  down  again. 
"There,  you  take  that!" 

Davie  was  whirling  around  now  so  fast  that 
Old  Man  Peters  preferred  to  try  the  stick  on 
the  little  legs  instead  of  the  small  shoulders  in 
the  calico  blouse,  while  he  roared,  "  I'll  make 
you  dance.  Drop  that  basket,  will  you ! " 

"Here  —  what  you  doin'?"  somebody 
called  out,  and  a  young  man  leaped  the  stone 
wall.  "  Hulloa,  old  Peters,  you  stop  that!  " 

Old  Man  Peters  turned  around.  He  would 
have  dropped  the  stick,  but  the  young  man 
saved  him  the  trouble  by  seizing  it  to  break  it 
into  two  pieces  and  toss  them  into  the  dusty 
road. 

"  He's  ben  a-sassin'  me,"  cried  the  old  man, 
pointing  to  David,  who  had  sunk  down  on  the 
grass  by  the  side  of  the  road,  still  hanging  to 
the  basket. 

"  Well,  you  ain't  a-goin'  to  beat  up  any  boy 
in  Badgertown.  Now  I  tell  you,  Peters !  And 


8  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

who  wouldn't  sass  you,  I  wonder.  Here  you, 
get  up,"  he  said,  going  over  to  David. 

But  David  showing  no  inclination  to  get  up, 
the  man  turned  his  face  over. 

"  Well,  I'll  be  blowed,  ef  tain't  one  o'  th' 
Pepper  children,"  he  exclaimed,  starting  back. 
"  You've  got  to  take  somethin'  from  me,  now 
I  tell  you,  Old  Man  Peters !  "  He  pushed  up 
his  gray  cotton  shirt-sleeves  and  advanced  on 
the  old  man,  "  for  beatin'  up  one  o'  Mis  Pep- 
per's boys." 

"  You  git  away  —  tain't  nothin'  to  you,  Jim 
Thompson,"  cried  Mr.  Peters,  "  an'  I'll  have  th' 
law  on  you,  ef  you  tetch  me !  "  He  put  up  both 
horny  hands  and  tried  to  huddle  back  of  the 
scrub  oak. 

"  Th'  law's  got  to  deal  with  you,  Old  Peters, 
first,  an'  it'll  fall  pretty  heavy  for  hurtin'  one 
o'  them  Pepper  children,"  declared  Thompson, 
dragging  him  by  an  angry  hand  back  to  the 
road  side. 

"  David  —  David  Pepper !  "  screamed  the  old 
farmer,  "you  tell  him,  I  'ain't  hurt  ye.  Tell 
him,  David.  Ow !  you  let  me  be,  Jim  Thomp- 
son!" 

David  looked  up  and  tried  to  speak.     Oh, 


DA  VIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS     9 

if  Mamsie  were  only  here !  Then  his  head  fell 
down  on  the  dusty  road. 

"  Look  at  that  boy,  you  old  scoundrel ! " 
roared  Thompson,  cuffing  Old  Man  Peters 
wherever  he  got  a  good  chance.  Then  he  flung 
him  to  the  middle  of  the  road.  "  Lie  there  till 
I  can  'tend  to  you."  But  the  old  farmer  pre- 
ferred to  attend  to  himself,  and  without  wait- 
ing to  pick  up  his  hat  that  had  fallen  off  in  the 
scuffle,  he  slunk  off  as  fast  as  he  conveniently 
could. 

"  Don't  hurt  him,"  begged  Davie  feebly,  as 
Thompson  bent  over  him.  "  Oh,  I  want 
Mamsie ! " 

"You're  a-goin'  to  her  —  I'll  take  you." 
The  young  man  lifted  him  up  to  his  Shoulder, 
Davie  still  clinging  to  the  basket.  "  Where  did 
he  hurt  you  ?  "  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  I'm  not  hurt  much,"  said  Davie,  trying  not 
to  cry. 

Jim  Thompson  set  his  teeth  hard.  "  Here, 
give  me  that  basket,"  and  holding  Davie  fast  by 
one  arm,  he  strode  off,  first  kicking  Old  Man 
Peters's  hat  into  a  neighboring  field  where  it 
landed  in  a  bog. 

"  Mamsie  -—  somebody's  coming,   and  he's 


io  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

got  a  big  bundle  —  how  funny,"  cried  Polly, 
looking  out  of  the  window. 

"  A  pedlar,  most  likely,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper, 
over  in  the  window,  trying  to  finish  a  coat  to  go 
back  to  Mr.  Atkins  at  the  store.  The  measles 
were  making  it  extra  hard  to  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door. 

"Well,  he  won't  sell  anything  here,"  said 
Polly  with  a  laugh,  and  running  to  the  old  green 
door.  "  Why  — "  as  she  flung  it  open. 

It  was  all  over  in  a  minute,  and  Mrs.  Pep- 
per had  her  boy  in  her  arms.  Davie  trying  to 
say,  "  I'm  not  much  hurt,"  and  Polly  running 
for  the  camphor  bottle,  while  Jim  Thompson 
set  down  the  basket  on  the  floor,  where  it  rolled 
over  and  out  flew  the  "  quince  sass  "  from  the 
protecting  folds  of  the  coat. 

"Old  Man  Peters  was  a-beatin'  him  up," 
said  the  young  farmer,  working  his  hands  awk- 
wardly together  and  wishing  he  could  help. 

"  Mamsie,"  said  Davie,  both  hands  around 
her  neck,  and  cuddling  up  to  lay  his  white  cheek 
against  her  face,  "  I  didn't  let  him  have  the 
basket  —  and  you  are  to  mend  the  coat.  You 
can  do  it  so  much  better,  she  says,  than  she 


can." 


DAVIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS      n 

"Mrs.  Peters,  Davie?" 

"  Yes,  and  Miss  Matilda  sent  the  jelly  —  no, 
it  isn't  jelly  —  but  —  I  forget  — " 

"  Yes,  I  know,  dear.  Now  let  Mother  see 
where  you  are  hurt." 

"  Oh,  Mamsie !  "  Polly,  flying  back  with  the 
camphor  bottle,  was  aghast  as  Mrs.  Pepper 
stripped  off  the  calico  blouse. 

"  Put  down  the  camphor,  Polly,"  said  Mother 
Pepper.  Her  lips  were  set  very  tightly  to- 
gether, and  a  bright  spot  burned  on  either 
cheek.  "  Bring  Mother  the  oil  bottle  and  get 
the  roll  of  old  cotton  in  the  lower  bureau 
drawer.  Be  careful  not  to  wake  up  Phronsie. 
Thank  you,  Mr.  Thompson,  for  bringing  home 
my  boy,"  as  Polly  ran  off. 

"I  guess  I'll  go  back  an'  lick  Old  Man 
Peters,"  said  the  young  farmer,  turning  off  to 
the  door. 

"  Oh,  no,"  Mother  Pepper  spoke  quickly. 
"  Say  nothing  to  him.  I'll  take  care  of  the 
matter." 

"  I'd  love  to,"  said  Mr.  Thompson  longingly. 

"No  —  No — "  Mrs.  Pepper  shook  her 
head  decidedly.  And  he  went  off. 

"Oh,     Mamsie,    that    wicked    Old    Man 


12  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Peters ! "  Polly  clasped  her  hands,  and  her 
brown  eyes  blazed.  "  I  just  want  something 
dreadful  to  happen  to  him,"  and  she  hovered 
over  David  bolstered  up  in  Mamsie's  rocking 
chair,  his  legs  and  little  shoulders  bound  up  in 
old  cotton  bandages. 

"  Polly,"  said  Mother  Pepper  sternly,  "  never 
let  me  hear  you  say  anything  like  that  again." 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  said  Polly,  fighting  with 
the  tears.  Then  she  gave  it  up  and  ran  over 
to  throw  herself  down  on  the  floor  and  lay  her 
head  in  Mother  Pepper's  lap,  "  to  think  of 
Davie  being  hurt.  Oh,  Mamsie !  " 

"  I'm  not  much  hurt,"  said  Davie,  poking  up 
his  head  from  the  pillow  against  his  back, 
"only  my  legs — they're  a  little  bad.  Don't 
cry,  Polly,"  he  begged,  dreadfully  distressed. 

"  Our  Davie !  "  sobbed  Polly,  huddling  down 
further  in  her  mother's  lap,  "  just  think,  Mam- 
sie,—  our  Davie! " 

Mrs.  Pepper  shut  her  lips  together,  but  she 
smoothed  Polly's  brown  head.  "  Mother  will 
see  to  it,"  she  said,  "  and  you  must  never  say 
anything  like  that  again,  Polly.  Now  wipe 
your  eyes;  here  comes  Dr.  Fisher." 

"Well  —  well  —  well— "    cried    the    little 


DA  VIE  AND  OLD  MAN  PETERS      13 

Doctor,  coming  in  cheerily.  He  was  very 
happy  as  Ben  was  getting  along  splendidly, 
while  as  for  Phronsie,  why  she  just  got  better 
and  better  every  day.  Oh,  the  measles  wasn't 
so  very  bad  after  all  to  fight.  But  now,  here 
was  Davie  bolstered  up  in  the  big  calico  cov- 
ered chair.  O  dear,  that  was  too  bad ! 

"  Well,  my  boy,"  the  little  Doctor  got  over 
to  the  chair  and  looked  down  at  him  with  keen 
eyes  behind  the  big  spectacles,  "  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  much  hurt,"  said  Davie,  "  only  my 
legs  —  they  feel  the  worst." 

"  Eh  ?  "  said  Dr.  Fisher.  Then  he  set  down 
his  bag  and  looked  over  at  Mrs.  Pepper.  So 
then  the  story  had  to  come  out.  When  it  was 
all  told  and  Dr.  Fisher  became  quiet,  for  he  was 
almost  as  bad  as  Polly  in  his  indignation,  and 
Davie's  legs  and  shoulders  had  been  taken  care 
of,  "  You  don't  need  to  do  anything,  Mrs.  Pep- 
per," he  said,  "  I'll  take  care  of  that  brute  of  a 


man." 


And  Mother  Pepper  said  just  as  she  had  told 
the  young  farmer,  "  Oh,  no,  I  will  see  to  the 
matter  myself." 

"Oh,  goody  —  I  got  the  wood  all  piled  at 


14  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Deacon  Blodgett's."  In  rushed  Joel.  "  Come 
on,  Dave,"  and  he  was  scurrying  over  to  Mam- 
sie's  big  chair,  when  he  spied  the  basket  on  the 
floor,  for  nobody  had  thought  or  cared  about  it. 
And  there  was  the  jar  of  Matilda's  "quince 
sass  "  that  had  rolled  off  by  itself.  "  Oh,"  he 
pounced  upon  it,  "  may  I  have  some  —  may  I  ?  " 
He  ran  with  it  to  Mrs.  Pepper,  nearly  upsetting 
the  little  Doctor  on  the  way. 

"  Look  out  there,"  cried  Doctor  Fisher ; 
"  here,  don't  run  me  down,  Joe,"  and  then  Joel 
saw  Davie  propped  against  the  pillows.  Down 
went  Matilda's  "  quince  sass  "  on  the  kitchen 
floor,  and  he  threw  himself  into  the  chair  on 
top  of  Davie,  poor  bandaged  legs  and  all. 

The  little  old  kitchen  then  was  in  a  hubbub. 
It  all  had  to  be  explained  to  Joel,  who  made 
things  so  very  dreadful  that  finally  Doctor 
Fisher  said,  "  I'll  take  him  off,  Mrs.  Pepper. 
Hold  on  to  that  boy,  Polly,  till  I've  had  a  look 
at  Ben  up  in  the  loft.  If  Phronsie  is  asleep, 
she's  all  right.  Then,  Joel  Pepper,  you  shall 
hop  into  my  gig." 


CHAPTER  II 

MRS.  PEPPER  ATTENDS  TO  THE 
MATTER 

PARSON  HENDERSON  shut  the  gate 
with  a  firm  hand,  and  stepped  out  into  the 
road. 

The  parsonage  door  opened,  and  the  minis- 
ter's wife  ran  down  the  path.  "  Here,  Adoni- 
ram,  take  this  to  Mrs.  Pepper."  She  put  a 
clean  folded  napkin,  from  which  came  a  nice 
smell  of  something  newly  baked,  into  his  hand. 
"  Oh,  I  do  hope  Mrs.  Pepper  will  let  you  see 
that  horrible  Mr.  Peters,"  she  began  anxiously. 

"  Mrs.  Pepper  always  knows  her  own  mind/' 
said  the  parson,  "and  if  she  wants  to  attend 
to  the  matter,  it's  not  for  us,  Almira,  to  inter- 
fere." He  handled  the  napkin  bundle  gingerly 
and  moved  off. 

"  It  was  perfectly  dreadful,  Jim  Thompson 
said,  and  you  know  he  tells  the  truth,  husband." 
is 


16  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

She  pattered  after  him.  "  Do  see  if  you  can't 
persuade  her  to  let  you  see  Mr.  Peters.  You 
know  you  want  to." 

"That  I  do! "  declared  the  parson,  his  eyes 
flashing.  "  Well,  don't  you  worry,  Almira ;  it 
will  be  attended  to." 

"  He  ought  to  be  driven  out  of  town  —  that 
old  creature  had,"  cried  his  wife,  with  very  red 
cheeks.  "  Everybody  hates  him.  Now  I  hope 
this  will  make  him  leave  Badgertown." 

"  Softly  there,  Almira,"  the  parson  patted 
one  of  the  red  cheeks.  "  Badgertown  must  be 
careful  what  it  does.  There  are  his  poor  wife 
and  Matilda  to  consider." 

"  Oh,  I  know  it,"  groaned  Mrs.  Henderson. 
"  Well,  do  try  and  get  Mrs.  Pepper  to  let  you 
fix  the  matter  up."  She  hurried  over  the  old 
flat  stone.  There  in  the  doorway  stood  Miss 
Jerusha. 

"  I  sh'd  think  Adoniram  had  enough  to  do, 
without  taking  up  with  Mis  Pepper's  troubles," 
she  said  tartly. 

"  Oh,  it's  his  business  to  do  what  he  can  for 
Badgertown  people,  Jerusha,"  said  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson. 

"Badgertown  people!"  sniffed  Miss  Jeru- 


MRS.  PEPPER  17 

sha.  She  set  her  spectacles  straighter,  and 
glared  at  the  parson's  wife.  "  You've  all  gone 
mad  over  that  little  brown  house  family,"  she 
said.  "  For  my  part,  I  hate  shiftless  folks  who 
expect  to  be  looked  out  for  all  the  while." 

"  Don't  you  ever  call  the  little  brown  house 
people  shiftless  again  in  my  presence."  The 
parson's  wife  got  as  tall  as  she  could,  even  up 
to  her  tiptoes.  "  Anybody  with  a  heart  would 
be  sorry  for  that  poor  brave  woman,  and  those 
dear  children  who  are  trying  to  help  her.  I 
can't  think,  Jerusha,  how  you  can  be  so  — 


so—" 


She  left  the  last  word  to  look  out  for  itself, 
her  voice  trailing  off.  But  she  marched  with  a 
high  head  past  the  long  angular  figure,  and  the 
door  of  her  husband's  study  closed  with  a  snap. 

"  Let  me  see  'em  —  let  me  see  'em !  "  Joel 
prancing  around  in  the  little  brown  house 
kitchen,  stopped  suddenly  and  twitched  the 
small  calico  sleeve. 

"No,"  said  David,  edging  off.  "I  don't 
want  anybody  to  see  Jem." 

"  I'm  going  to,"  declared  Joel,  holding  on 
with  both  hands  to  the  blouse  as  David  whirled 
around.  "  I  saw  'em  yesterday,  and  I'm  going 


18  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

to  see  'em  again.     Hold  still,  Dave.     Zip!" 

"  There,  now  you've  torn  it !  "  Davie  gave 
a  small  cry  of  distress. 

Joel's  stubby  hands  dropped  and  he  stood 
quite  still  in  dismay. 

"  Tisn't  torn  —  torn  —  much,"  he  said  quite 
aghast. 

"  It's  torn  —  and  now  Mamsie  will  have  to 
work  and  mend  it.  O  dear !  " 

With  that  the  tears  fell,  and  Davie  threw 
himself  on  the  floor,  and  sobbed  as  if  his  heart 
would  break. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  cried  Polly,  rushing 
in  from  the  bedroom,  where  she  had  been  giv- 
ing Phronsie  her  breakfast  of  mush.  For  once 
there  was  some  real  milk,  for  Doctor  Fisher 
had  set  a  bottle  on  the  kitchen  table  after  his 
visit  to  see  how  the  measles  were  coming  on. 
"  Oh,  Davie !  "  She  threw  herself  down  be- 
side him.  "  Where  are  you  hurt?  " 

Mrs.  Pepper  hurried  over  the  steps  from  the 
provision  room,  where  she  had  been  looking 
over  the  potatoes  to  see  how  long  they  would 
last. 

"  I  tore  —  tore  — "  said  Joel,  in  the  middle 
of  the  kitchen  floor.  His  face  was  working 


MRS.  PEPPER  19 

dreadfully  and  he  twisted  his  hands  together 
trying  not  to  cry. 

"  What  did  you  do,  Joe?  "  cried  Polly,  run- 
ning over  to  him. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Davie,  throwing  his  arms 
around  her,  "  he  didn't  mean  to." 

"  There  —  there,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  taking 
him  up  to  her  lap.  "  Joel,  come  here  and  tell 
Mother  all  about  it." 

"  He  didn't  mean  to,"  began  Davie  again, 
wiping  up  his  tears. 

"  I  don't  believe  Joey  did  mean  to,  Mamsie, 
whatever  it  is,"  said  Polly,  pulling  him  along. 
He  was  digging  one  small  fist  into  first  one  eye 
and  then  the  other,  and  saying  at  every  step, 
"  I  didn't  mean  to,  Mamsie,"  and  he  threw  him- 
self down  and  burrowed  his  face  on  top  of 
Davie's  legs  in  Mrs.  Pepper's  lap. 

"  Stop  saying  you  didn't  mean  to,  Joel,  and 
tell  Mother  what  you  did  to  Davie,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper  firmly. 

Joel  put  out  a  shaking  hand  and  felt  for  the 
torn  place  in  the  little  calico  blouse,  Polly  hang- 
ing over  them  in  great  anxiety.  "  There,"  he 
said,  "  I  didn't  mean  to  do  it,  Mamsie." 

"  He  means  he's  torn  Davie's  jacket,"  said 


20  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Polly  with  a  little  gasp.  "  O  dear  me,  Joel, 
you've  scared  us  almost  to  death !  " 

"  Mamsie  will  have  to  work  and  mend  it," 
howled  Joel.  With  that  Davie  began  again  to 
cry,  and  to  burrow  deeper  against  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's neck. 

"  For  shame,  Joel !  "  cried  Polly.  "  It's  ever 
so  much  worse  to  cry  now  than  it  was  to  tear 
Davie's  jacket." 

"Is  it?"  cried  Joel,  bringing  up  his  head 
suddenly  and  gazing  at  her  out  of  two  black 
eyes;  the  tears  trailed  down  over  his  snubby 
nose.  "Is  it  really,  Polly?" 

"  Indeed  it  is,  Joe,"  she  said  decidedly. 

"  Then  I'm  not  going  to  cry  any  more,"  de- 
clared Joel,  wiping  off  the  last  tear  with  the 
back  of  one  brown  hand,  and  jumping  up. 

"  Now,  that's  Mother's  good  boy,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper  approvingly. 

"  Whatever  made  you  tear  Davie's  jacket, 
Joe?  "  cried  Polly,  very  much  puzzled  and  run- 
ning after  him. 

"  I  wanted  to  see  the  red  things  on  his  legs," 
said  Joel.  "  Oh,  I'd  'a'  made  Old  Man  Peters 
squinge  and  squinge  if  I'd  been  there !  This  is 
the  way  I'd  have  done."  Joel  ran  over  to  the 


MRS.  PEPPER  21 

corner  and  seized  the  broom,  and  landed  about 
him  so  savagely  that  Polly  flew  off  laughing, 
and  Davie  joined  in  with  a  merry  shout,  until 
the  little  old  kitchen  fairly  rang  with  the  noise. 

"  Yes  —  sir-ee !  "  said  Joel,  prancing  madly 
around,  "  that's  the  way  I'd  'a'  squinged  him  if 
I'd  been  there." 

Davie  slid  out  of  Mother  Pepper's  lap  and 
ran  after  him,  the  torn  bit  of  calico  flapping  at 
the  end  of  his  blouse. 

"  Let  me,  Joel,"  he  cried,  trying  to  reach  the 
broom  as  Joel  pranced  on. 

"  You  couldn't  do  it,"  said  Joel.  "  I  must 
squinge  Old  Man  Peters  myself,"  holding  the 
broom  very  high.  Then  he  saw  Davie's  face. 
"  You  may  have  it,"  he  said. 

Polly  ran  into  the  bedroom  and  came  back 
on  her  tiptoes.  "  Phronsie's  asleep,"  she  said. 
"  Now  I'm  awfully  glad,  for  I  can  clean  out 
the  stove.  Then  I  can  get  the  bread  in."  She 
ran  over  and  knelt  down  before  the  old  stove, 
and  presently  there  was  a  great  to-do  with  the 
brush  and  the  little  shovel  and  the  old  woolen 
cloths. 

Mrs.  Pepper  sighed  as  she  rolled  up  in  a 
newspaper  two  coats  that  she  had  just  finished. 


22  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  should  ever  do  without 
you,  Polly,"  she  said,  looking  over  at  her. 

"  Don't  you,  Mamsie  ?  "  cried  Polly  in  great 
delight,  and  sitting  back  on  her  heels,  she 
brought  up  a  countenance  with  long  black 
streaks  running  across  it.  "  Don't  you  really, 
Mamsie  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  and  that 
is  a  fact.  Mother  wouldn't  know  what  to  do 
without  you.  But  dear  me,  child,  what  a  pair 
of  black  hands  —  and  your  face,  Polly !  "  as  she 
went  into  the  bedroom  to  put  on  her  bonnet. 

Polly  looked  down  at  her  hands.  Then  she 
burst  out  laughing.  "  I  brushed  back  my  hair," 
she  said,  "  it  tumbled  into  my  eyes  so,"  and  she 
jumped  up  and  ran  to  the  cracked  looking  glass 
hanging  over  in  the  corner.  "  My !  what  a 
sight  I  am !  " 

"  Let  me  see,"  cried  Joel,  rushing  over. 
"  Don't  wash  it  off,  Polly,  let  me  see !  " 

David  flung  down  the  broom  and  tumbled 
after.  "  Let  me  see,  too,  Polly." 

"  I  look  just  like  that  old  black  man  who  used 
to  come  after  rags,"  said  Polly,  turning  around 
on  them  and  holding  up  her  hands. 

"  Oh,  you  do  —  you  do !  "  howled  Joel  in 


MRS.  PEPPER  23 

huge  delight,  while  Davie  crowed  and  clapped 
his  hands.  "  You  do,  just  exactly  like  him, 
Polly!" 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  said  Polly.  She  rushed 
out  and  came  running  back  with  Ben's  old  cap 
on  her  head  and  her  arms  in  his  coat.  "  Now 
wouldn't  you  think  I  was  that  old  black  man  ?  " 
she  said,  stalking  up  and  down  the  kitchen  cry- 
ing out,  "  Any  rags,  Mam  ?  "  and  she  swung 
the  big  potato  bag  at  them. 

"  Oh,  Polly,"  screamed  Davie  in  a  transport, 
"you  are  that  old  black  man,"  while  Joel 
marched  after  echoing,  "Any  rags,  Mam?" 
and  swinging  an  imaginary  bag  at  every  step 
he  took. 

Suddenly  Polly  stopped,  tore  off  the  cap  and 
the  coat.  "  Take  back  the  potato  bag  into  the 
provision  room,  Joel,"  she  said,  tossing  it  to 
him.  "  I  forgot  the  stove,  and  the  bread  has 
got  to  go  in.  O  dear  me !  "  She  flew  over  to 
the  sink,  and  presently  back  she  came.  "  There 
now,  I'm  scrubbed  clean,  but  I'll  get  all  black 
again,  I  suppose,"  and  she  kneeled  down  again 
before  the  stove. 

Mrs.  Pepper  came  out  of  the  bedroom  and 
stopped  a  minute  by  the  green  door  to  smile  at 


24  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

them  all.  Then  she  went  out  with  her  bundle 
to  take  to  Mr.  Atkins  at  the  store;  but  first 
there  was  another  errand  of  importance  to 
attend  to,  so  she  turned  off  at  the  cross  road. 
The  smile  had  dropped  away  from  her  folded 
lips,  as  she  stepped  swiftly  along  toward  the 
Peters  farm. 

"  Here  she  comes  —  here's  Mis  Pepper !  " 
cried  Matilda.  "  Do  stop  wringin'  your  hands, 
Ma.  You  hain't  done  nothin'  else  sence  yes- 
terday. Mis  Pepper  can't  blame  us." 

"  O  dear,"  mourned  Mrs.  Peters.  "  'Twas 
th'  quince  sass  that  made  all  th'  trouble." 

"  'Twarn't  th'  quince  sass  at  all,"  contra- 
dicted Matilda  flatly.  "  Pa  never  said  a  word 
about  it.  Do  stop  —  Mis  Pepper's  at  th' 
door." 

"  Rat-tat!"  went  the  old  iron  knocker.  Ma- 
tilda jumped,  all  her  nerves  askew,  while  Mrs. 
Peters  sank  down  in  the  nearest  chair. 

"  O  dear,  there  ain't  time  to  git  on  a  clean 
apurn."  Matilda  opened  the  big  door  —  her 
tongue  clapped  up  to  the  roof  of  her  mouth, 
and  she  couldn't  find  a  word  to  say. 

"Is  your  father  in?"  asked  Mrs.  Pepper 
pleasantly.  Then  she  looked  into  the  scared 


MRS.  PEPPER  25 

face.  "  Don't  feel  badly  —  you  couldn't  help 
it,"  she  said. 

Matilda  twisted  her  hands  in  her  dirty  apron. 
"  We  feel  dreadful  —  Ma  an'  me,"  she  said, 
and  burst  out  crying. 

"  There  —  there,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  sooth- 
ingly, trying  to  pat  the  nervous  hands. 
"  Don't,  Matilda ;  your  mother  will  hear  you. 
Can  I  see  your  father?  "  She  stepped  in  and 
shut  the  door. 

"  He's  in  there."  Matilda  twitched  out  one 
hand  from  beneath  the  apron,  and  pointed  a 
shaking  finger  to  the  little  room  that  old  Mr. 
Peters  called  his  office.  Mrs.  Pepper  knocked 
at  the  door. 

"  You  better  go  right  in  ef  you  want  to  see 
him,"  said  Matilda  in  a  loud  whisper,  "  for  he'll 
sneak  out  th'  back  door,  ef  he  knows  it's  you." 
So  Mrs.  Pepper  opened  the  door,  and  none  too 
soon.  Old  Man  Peters  was  crowding  his  long 
legs  out  of  the  big  chair  where  he  sat  behind 
his  desk,  his  eyes  on  the  door  leading  out  to 
the  back  yard. 

"  Oh,  come  in,  Mis  Pepper,"  he  mumbled,  his 
long  face  getting  redder  and  redder.  "  Take 
a  chair  an'  set." 


26  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  sit  down,  Mr.  Peters," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  What  I  have  to  say  will 
take  but  a  few  moments.  I  have  come  to  see 
you  about  my  boy." 

"  Yes  —  yes  — "  grunted  the  old  man  in  a 
terrible  alarm.  "  Well,  p'raps  'twas  a  mis- 
take," he  twitched  the  papers  on  his  desk  with 
nervous  fingers,  then  finally  ran  them  through 
his  shock  of  grizzled  hair.  "  I  didn't  mean  to 
hurt  th'  boy  none.  But  mebbe  'twas  a  mistake. 
You  better  set,  Mis  Pepper."  He  pointed  to  a 
broken-backed  chair,  the  only  one  provided  for 
his  farm-hands  when  they  went  to  wrangle 
over  their  hard-earned  wages. 

"  It  was  more  than  a  mistake,  Mr.  Peters," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper  in  a  clear  voice,  and  ignoring 
the  invitation. 

"Well  — mebbe  — mebbe,"  said  the  old 
man,  wriggling  around  in  his  big  chair.  "  See 
here  now,"  he  suddenly  stopped  and  looked  in  a 
tremor  into  her  black  eyes,  "I'll  give  you  some 
money,  an'  that'll  fix  it  up.  How  much  do  ye 
want?  "  he  asked  in  an  anguished  tone. 

"  Money  could  never  fix  up  a  thing  like  this," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper.  Her  tone  was  quiet,  but  the 
black  eyes  blazed.  Old  Man  Peters's  hand  fell 


MRS.  PEPPER  27 

in  relief  from  the  handle  of  his  money  drawer, 
but  he  slunk  down  in  his  chair. 

"  The  only  reparation  you  can  make,  Mr. 
Peters,"  Mrs.  Pepper  went  on,  "  is  to  be  very 
sure  that  you  will  never  lay  a  hand  again  on  a 
Badgertown  child ;  not  only  upon  my  child,  but 
upon  any  child.  You  understand  that?  " 

"  Ye  —  yes/'  mumbled  the  old  man. 

"  And  one  more  thing.  That  is,  that  you 
will  treat  your  wife  and  Matilda  as  women 
should  be  treated." 

"They're  well  enough  off,"  declared  Old 
Man  Peters  suddenly.  Then  he  snarled  out, 
"  An'  what  bus'ness  is  it  of  yours,  Mis  Pepper, 
I'd  like  to  know." 

"  Very  well.  If  you  don't  promise  this,  I 
shall  see  that  the  injury  to  my  boy  is  atoned  for. 
I  shall  give  the  matter  into  the  hands  of  the 
town  authorities,  Mr.  Peters." 

"Here  —  here — "  screamed  the  old  man, 
flinging  out  both  hands,  as  she  moved  off. 
"  Stop,  Mis  Pepper !  I  didn't  mean  to  say  I 
wouldn't  promise.  Yes  —  yes  —  I  do!  Will 
you  stop !  I  say  I  will !  " 

"And  Badgertown  will  see  that  you  keep 
that  promise,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  Then  she 


28  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

opened  the  door.  Matilda,  who  had  a  shaking 
eye  at  the  keyhole,  nearly  fell  over  backward 
on  the  entry  oilcloth. 

"  Oh,  Mis  Pepper,"  she  gasped,  seizing  the 
strong  arm.  "  Ma's  takin'  on  somethin'  awful 
in  th'  sittin'  room." 

"  She  won't  do  that  long,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper 
grimly.  "  Come,  Tildy." 

"  Oh  me  —  oh  my !  "  old  Mrs.  Peters  was 
throwing  herself  from  one  side  of  the  rickety 
sofa  in  the  sitting  room  and  moaning,  with  her 
fingers  in  her  ears,  when  they  came  in. 

"  She's  got  th'  high-strikes,"  declared  Ma- 
tilda with  big  eyes.  "  I  must  go  up  garret  and 
git  some  feathers  an'  burn  'em  right  under  her 
nose." 

"  Come  back  —  no  need  for  that,  Matilda." 
Mrs.  Pepper  sat  down  on  the  sofa  and  drew  the 
poor  gray  head  into  her  arms.  "  There  — 
there,"  she  said,  just  as  if  one  of  the  Five  Little 
Peppers  was  cuddled  within  them.  "  You're 
going  to  see  better  times,  Mrs.  Peters.  Your 
husband  has  promised  to  treat  you  and  Matilda 
as  women  should  be  treated." 

But  Mrs.  Peters  not  understanding,  wailed 
on,  burrowing  deeper  into  the  kind  arms. 


MRS.  PEPPER  29 

Tildy  jumped  to  her  feet.  "  Oh  my  soul  an* 
body  —  did  you  make  Pa  say  that?  " 

"  Mr.  Peters  promised  it,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper 
with  a  smile. 

"Glory  be!"  Tildy  set  up  a  trot  to  the 
other  end  of  the  room,  coming  back  to  snap  her 
fingers  in  glee.  Then  the  joy  went  out  of  her 
face.  "  Pa  never'll  keep  that  promise  in  all  the 
world,"  she  gasped,  drooping  miserably. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  promise  will  be 
kept,  Matilda,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  And  if  it 
isn't,  why  you  just  come  to  me."  Then  she 
laid  Mrs.  Peters's  head  back  on  the  old  sofa 
and  went  out  and  shut  the  door. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  DARK  CLOUD  OVER  THE 
LITTLE  BROWN  HOUSE 


d°n>t  say !  "  Old  Man  Beebe  turned 
around  on  his  little  ladder  where  he  was 
reaching  down  a  pair  of  number  six  shoes  for 
a  customer.  "  Sho'  now,  I  am  beat,  Mis 
Brown!  Mebbe  'tain't  true."  He  held  the 
shoes  aloft,  the  long  strings  dangling  down. 

"  There  ain't  no  morsel  o'  doubt  about  it," 
said  Mrs.  Brown  decidedly.  "  I've  jest  come 
from  the  store,  an'  Mr.  Atkins  himself  told  me. 
I  can't  wait  all  day,  Mr.  Beebe ;  an'  I  said  gait- 
ers. I  don't  want  no  shoes." 

"  You  said  shoes,"  said  Mr.  Beebe.  "  How- 
ever did  I  git  up  here,  ef  you  hadn't  asked  for 
'em." 

"  I  don't  know  nothin'  about  th'  workin'  o' 
your  mind,  Mr.  Beebe,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  I 
said  gaiters  as  plain  as  day  —  and  do  hurry !  " 
She  whipped  the  ends  of  her  shawl  impatiently 
around  her  gaunt  figure. 
30 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  31 

"I  d'no's  I  have  any  gaiters  —  that  is  — 
that'll  fit  you,"  said  the  little  shoemaker,  put- 
ting the  "  number  sixes  "  into  their  box,  and 
slowly  fitting  on  the  cover.  "  P'raps  I  have  a 
pair  on  the  lower  shelf."  He  got  down  labori- 
ously from  the  ladder,  put  it  in  the  corner  and 
began  to  rummage  his  stock. 

"  An'  there's  my  bread  waitin'  to  go  in  th' 
oven,  an'  I've  got  cake  to  bake  for  the  sewin' 
s'ciety, —  do  hurry,  Mr.  Beebe." 

"  I  s'pose  they've  got  to  have  rubber  sides," 
mused  Mr.  Beebe,  getting  down  on  his  knees, 
to  explore  behind  the  chintz  curtains  that  fell 
from  the  lowest  shelf. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  impa- 
tiently, "  gaiters  is  gaiters,  ain't  they  ?  An'  I 
never  saw  a  pair  without  them  rubber  sides  to 
'em,  did  you,  Mr.  Beebe?" 

"  I  d'no's  I  did,"  said  the  little  shoemaker,  his 
head  under  the  curtain.  "  Well,  now  here's  a 
pair,  I  do  believe,"  and  he  dragged  out  a  box, 
whipped  off  the  cover  and  disclosed  a  pair  with 
elastic  sides.  "  Them's  Congress  gaiters,"  he 
said,  "  an'  they  look  as  if  they'd  fit  like  your 
skin." 

"  I'm  sure  I  hope  so,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  put- 


32  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ting  out  her  generous  foot.     "  An'  do  hurry  an' 
try  'em  on,  for  mercy's  sakes !  " 

"  I'm  hurryin'  as  fast  as  I  can,"  said  Mr. 
Beebe,  coming  over  to  the  bench  where  the  cus- 
tomers always  sat  for  the  shoes  to  be  tried  on, 
"  but  you've  upset  me  so  about  that  bad  news. 
Sho'  now !  —  to  think  that  anythin'  should  hap- 
pen to  the  little  brown  house  folks." 

"What's  that  — what's  that  Pa?"  Mrs. 
Beebe's  head  appeared  in  the  doorway  between 
the  little  shop  and  the  sitting  room.  She  had 
been  frying  doughnuts  and  she  carried  one  in 
now  on  a  blue  plate,  as  she  always  did  while 
they  were  nice  and  hot.  "  What's  th'  matter 
with  th'  little  brown  house  folks  ?  Oh,  how  do 
you  do,  Mis  Brown?  " 

Mrs.  Brown's  nose  wrinkled  up  apprecia- 
tively at  sight  of  the  doughnut. 

"  I  hope  nothin',  Ma,"  said  Mr.  Beebe,  not 
looking  at  the  plate. 

"  You  always  have  such  luck  with  your 
doughnuts,  Mis  Beebe,"  said  Mrs.  Brown 
longingly. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  anyway  ?  "  demanded  Mrs. 
Beebe,  setting  down  the  plate  on  the  counter 
that  ran  on  one  side  of  the  little  shop,  and  com- 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  33 

ing  up  to  the  shoe-bench.  "  What  was  you 
say  in',  Pa,  about  th'  Pepperses?  " 

"  Polly's  got  the  measles  now." 

"  Good  land  o'  Goshen !  "  exclaimed  old  Mrs. 
Beebe.  Then  she  sat  down  on  the  other  end  of 
the  bench  and  folded  her  plump  hands. 

"  P'raps  'tain't  true,"  he  said,  with  trembling 
hands  pulling  on  the  gaiter. 

"That's  too  tight,"  declared  Mrs.  Brown, 
wrenching  her  mind  from  the  doughnuts  and 
twisting  her  foot  from  one  side  to  the  other. 

"  'Twon't  be  when  th'  rubber  'lastic  has  got 
stretched,"  said  Mr.  Beebe. 

"Yes,  an'  then  the  'lastic  will  be  all  wore 
out,  an*  bulge,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  discontent- 
edly. "  Hain't  you  got  another  pair,  Mr. 
Beebe?" 

"  Not  your  size,"  said  the  little  shoemaker. 

"  Well,  if  Polly  Pepper's  got  th'  measles,  I'm 
goin'  right  down  to  the  little  brown  house,"  de- 
clared old  Mrs.  Beebe,  getting  up  from  the 
shoe-bench.  "  I'll  set  out  your  dinner,  Pa,  the 
cold  meat  an'  pie,  and  there's  some  hot  soup  on 
the  stove.  I'm  goin'  to  stay  an'  help  Mis  Pep- 
per," and  she  waddled  out. 

"  Well,  for  mercy's  sake,  Mr.  Beebe,  try  on 


34  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

th'  other  gaiter.  I've  got  to  git  home  some 
time  to-day,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  crossly,  all  hope 
of  a  doughnut  coming  her  way  now  gone  en- 
tirely. 

The  little  shoemaker  stood  by  the  door  of  his 
shop  thoughtfully  jingling  the  silver  pieces  in 
his  hands,  after  his  customer  had  gone  out. 

"To  think  o'  Polly  bein'  took!  O  dear, 
dear !  I  declare  I  forgot  to  give  Ma  some  pink 
sticks  to  take  to  the  childern."  He  hurried  out 
to  the  small  entry,  took  down  his  coat  and  old 
cap  and  rammed  his  hands  into  his  big  pockets. 

"  Here  they  are,  just  as  I  saved  'em  for  Joel." 
Then  he  locked  up  his  little  shop  and  ambled 
down  the  cobble  stones  to  overtake  old  Mrs. 
Beebe  on  her  way  to  the  little  brown  house. 

But  she  got  there  first  and  opened  the  old 
green  door  without  knocking.  Mrs.  Pepper 
was  coming  out  of  the  bedroom  with  a  bowl 
and  a  spoon  in  her  hands.  Her  face  was  very 
white,  but  she  tried  to  smile  a  welcome. 

"  Land  alive !  "  exclaimed  old  Mrs.  Beebe  in 
a  loud  whisper.  "  Is  Polly  took  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  Well,  I  never !  "  Mrs.  Beebe  sank  down 
in  Mother  Pepper's  calico-covered  chair. 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  35 

"  That  beats  all  —  to  think  that  Polly's  took ! 
Whatever '11  you  do  now!" 

"  Take  care,"  warned  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  she'll 
hear  you,"  and  she  pointed  to  the  bedroom. 

"  I'm  whisperin',"  said  old  Mrs.  Beebe,  hold- 
ing her  plump  hands  tightly  together. 

Mrs.  Pepper  hurried  up  to  the  loft  to  see  how 
Ben  was  getting  on. 

And  in  came  the  little  shoemaker,  his  round 
face  quite  red,  he  had  hurried  so. 

"  Is  she  bad  ?  "  The  whisper  was  so  much 
worse  than  that  of  old  Mrs.  Beebe,  that  she 
got  out  of  the  big  chair  and  hurried  over  to 
him.  "  Pa,  you  mustn't  —  she'll  hear  you." 
She  pointed  to  the  bedroom  and  twitched  his 
sleeve. 

"  I  ain't  a-talkin',  I'm  whisperin',"  he  said. 
"  Is  Polly  bad,  Ma?  "  He  pulled  out  his  ban- 
danna handkerchief  and  wipecl  his  anxious 
face. 

"  Oh,  I  d'no,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe  disconso- 
lately. "  Everything  bad  that  Mis  Pepper  gits, 
deary  me ! " 

"  Well,  I  brought  some  pink  sticks  for  Joel 
and  Davie,"  said  old  Mr.  Beebe,  pulling  out  the 
paper  from  his  pocket.  "  There  Ma,"  he  laid 


36  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

them  down  on  the  table.  "  Where's  th'  boys  ?  " 
he  peered  around  the  old  kitchen. 

"  They're  over  to  Deacon  Blodgett's,  I 
s'pose,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe.  "  O  dear  me,  they've 
got  to  work  worse'n  ever,  now  Ben's  sick." 

"  Sho,  now !  "  exclaimed  .  the  little  shoe- 
maker, dreadfully  upset.  "  Where's  Mis  Pep- 
per?" 

"  Up  there,"  old  Mrs.  Beebe  pointed  to  the 
loft  stairs. 

"  I  d'no  what  Mis  Pepper  is  goin'  to  do  now 
that  Polly  is  took  with  th'  measles,"  said  Mr. 
Beebe  in  a  loud  whisper.  "  Hem !  O  dear 
me !  "  and  he  blew  his  nose  violently. 

"  Hush,  Pa !  You  do  speak  dretful  loud," 
as  Mrs.  Pepper  came  down  the  loft  stairs. 

"  It's  good  of  you  to  come,  Mr.  Beebe,"  she 
said,  hurrying  into  the  bedroom  and  closing 
the  door. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Polly,  flying  into  the  mid- 
dle of  the  bed;  the  tears  were  racing  down 
under  the  bandage  that  Dr.  Fisher  had  tied 
over  her  eyes  that  morning.  "  Whatever  will 
you  do  now  that  I've  got  'em  —  Oh,  Mamsie !  " 
She  threw  her  arms  around  Mother  Pepper. 

"  Polly  —  Polly,  child !  "     Mrs.  Pepper  held 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  37 

her  close.  "  You  mustn't  cry.  Don't  you 
know  what  Dr.  Fisher  told  you.  There  — 
there,"  she  patted  the  brown  hair  as  Polly 
snuggled  up  to  her. 

"I  can't  help  it,"  said  Polly,  the  tears 
tumbling  over  each  other  in  their  mad  race 
down  her  cheeks.  "  I  don't  mind  my  eyes,  if 
only  I  could  help  you.  Oh,  what  will  you  do, 
Mamsie  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  will  get  along,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  in 
a  cheerful  voice.  "  And  just  think  how  good 
Joel  is." 

"  It's  good  Joey  hasn't  got  the  measles," 
said  Polly,  trying  to  smile  through  her  tears. 

"  Isn't  it?  "  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  And  Dea- 
con Blodgett  says  he  does  splendidly  working 
about  the  place.  And  Davie,  too  —  oh,  Polly, 
just  think  what  a  comfort  those  two  boys 


are." 


"  I  know  it,"  said  Polly,  trying  to  speak 
cheerfully,  "  but  I  do  wish  I  could  help  you  sew 
on  the  coats,"  she  said,  and  her  face  drooped 
further  within  Mother  Pepper's  arms. 

"  It's  just  because  you  have  sewed  so  much 
that  your  eyes  are  bad."  Mrs.  Pepper  couldn't 
repress  the  sigh. 


38  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Mamsie,  now  don't  you  feel  badly/'  Polly 
brought  her  head  up  suddenly.  "  Oh,  I  wish 
I  could  see  your  face  —  don't  you,  Mamsie  ?  " 
She  clutched  her  mother  tightly,  and  the  tears 
began  to  come  again. 

"  Polly,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  now  you  and  I 
have  both  got  to  be  brave.  It's  not  time  for 
crying,  and  you  must  just  be  mother's  girl,  and 
lie  down  and  keep  warm  under  the  clothes. 
That's  the  very  best  way  to  help  me." 

"  I'll  try,"  said  Polly,  as  Mrs.  Pepper  tucked 
her  in  under  the  old  comforter. 

But  although  old  Mrs.  Beebe  was  kind  as 
could  be,  and  Grandma  Bascom  hobbled  over 
every  now  and  then,  and  Parson  Henderson 
and  his  wife  helped  in  every  imaginable  way, 
a  black  cloud  settled  over  the  little  brown  house. 
And  one  day  Badgertown  heard  the  news: 
"  Joel  Pepper  is  took  sick  with  th'  measles,  and 
he's  awful  bad." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Mr.  Atkins,  turning 
off  with  the  jug  he  was  filling  from  the  big 
barrel  of  molasses  for  a  customer,  "  that  boy 
can't  be  sick." 

"  Well,    he    is,"    declared    the    customer. 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  39 

"  Look  out !  th'  'lasses  is  all  a-runnin'  over  th' 
floor!" 

"  Thunderation !  "  The  storekeeper  jumped 
back  and  picked  his  foot  out  of  the  sticky  mess, 
while  he  thrust  the  jug  under  the  bunghole. 
"  Hold  your  tongue,  Timothy  Bliss !  Joel  Pep- 
per was  in  here  yist'day  —  no,  that  was  David 
bringin'  back  th'  coats  Mis  Pepper  had  sewed  — 
'twas  day  before  yist'day  Joe  came  runnin'  in, 
smart  as  a  cricket.  He  warn't  goin'  to  have  no 
squeezles,  he  said,  No,  Sir ! "  Mr.  Atkins 
turned  off  the  spigot  sharply,  and  set  the  jug 
on  the  counter  with  a  thud. 

"  He's  got  'em  now  at  any  rate,"  said  Mr. 
Bliss  solemnly.  "  An*  Mis  Beebe  says  they 
wouldn't  wonder  ef  he  was  goin'  to  die." 

"Die!"  roared  the  storekeeper.  "Ain't 
you  'shamed,  Timothy  Bliss,  to  stand  there 
sayin'  sech  stuff!  Joel  Pepper  can't  die." 
Yet  Mr.  Atkins  gripped  the  counter  with  both 
hands,  while  everything  in  his  store  seemed  to 
spin  around. 

"  Mis  Beebe  said  —  standin'  in  th'  door  o' 
th'  shoeshop  as  I  come  by,"  began  Mr.  Bliss, 
leaning  up  against  the  counter. 


40  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Don't  tell  me  no  more,"  interrupted  the 
storekeeper,  waving  both  sticky  hands  excit- 
edly; "it's  scand'lous  startin'  such  tales." 
Then  he  rushed  over  to  the  small  door  connect- 
ing with  his  house.  "  Ma  —  Ma,"  he 
screamed,  "Joel  Pepper's  awful  sick  with  the 
measles ! " 

"  You  don't  say !  "  Mrs.  Atkins  came  to  the 
top  of  the  stairs,  her  sweeping  cap  on  her  head 
and  a  dust-brush  in  her  hand.  "  O  me,  O 
my !  "  she  mourned.  "  What  will  Mis  Pepper 
do  now,  with  both  of  her  boys  took  sick?  " 

"  Well,  she's  got  Davie,"  said  the  store- 
keeper, determined  to  get  some  comfort,  and 
hanging  to  the  newel  post. 

"  Davie's  so  little."  Mrs.  Atkins  sat  down 
on  the  upper  stair.  "  He'd  help  all  he  could, 
but  he's  so  little,"  she  repeated. 

"  David's  awful  smart,"  said  Mr.  Atkins. 

"  I  know  it ;  they're  all  smart,  them  Pepper 
childern,  but  Joel's  so  up  an'  comin',  you  can't 
think  of  Davie  somehow  as  takin'  hold  o' 
things.  Seth  Atkins,  you've  got  'lasses  all  over 
your  trousers ! " 

She  ran  down  the  stairs  and  peered  anxiously 
at  her  husband's  legs. 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  41 

The  storekeeper  twitched  away.  "  That's 
Timothy  Bliss'  fault.  He  scaret  me  so  about 
Joe/5  and  he  darted  back  into  the  store. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  help  Mamsie."  David  stood 
in  the  middle  of  the  kitchen,  twisting  his  hands 
together  anxiously.  "  I'm  getting  to  be  real 
big  now,  Mrs.  Beebe,"  and  he  stood  on  his 
tiptoes. 

"  Bless  your  heart ! "  exclaimed  old  Mrs. 
Beebe,  making  gruel  on  the  old  stove,  "  so  you 
be,  Davie." 

"  And  pretty  soon  Til  be  as  big  as  —  as 
Joel."  Then  he  swallowed  hard  at  the  sound 
of  Joel's  name. 

"  So  you  will  —  so  you  will,"  said  Mrs. 
Beebe.  "  An'  you  help  your  mother  now, 
Davie  boy." 

"Do  I ?  "  cried  David.  A  little  pink  spot 
came  on  each  cheek,  and  he  unclenched  his 
hands,  for  he  wasn't  going  to  cry  now. 

"  To  be  sure  you  do,"  declared  Mrs.  Beebe, 
bobbing  her  cap  at  him.  "  Your  Ma  told  me 
yest'day  she  depended  on  you." 

"  Did  she?  "  David  ran  over  to  clutch  her 
apron,  the  pink  spots  getting  quite  rosy.  "  Oh, 


42  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

I'm  going  to  do  just  everything  that  Ben  and 
Joel  did  —  I  am,  Mrs.  Beebe." 

"  Well,  you  look  out,  you  don't  work  too 
hard,  Davie,"  Mrs.  Beebe  stopped  stirring  a 
minute,  and  regarded  him  anxiously,  "that 
would  worry  your  Ma  most  dretful.  There 
that's  done."  She  swished  the  spoon  about  a 
few  times,  then  poured  the  gruel  into  a  bowl. 
"  Now,  then,  I'll  give  it  to  Ben." 

"  Oh,  let  me,"  cried  Davie,  putting  up  both 
hands  eagerly. 

"  You're  too  tired  —  you've  ben  a-runnin'  all 
th'  mornin',"  began  Mrs.  Beebe,  yet  her  stout 
legs  ached  badly. 

"  I'm  not  tired,"  cried  Davie,  and  in  a  min- 
ute he  had  the  bowl  and  was  going  carefully 
up  the  loft  stairs. 

"  Now  that  blessed  child  is  just  like  the  rest 
o'  th'  childern,"  mused  old  Mrs.  Beebe,  sinking 
down  in  a  chair.  "  Davie's  quiet,  but  he  get's 
there  all  the  same." 

And  Davie's  little  legs  "got  there  all  the 
same  "  through  the  dark  days  when  Joel  went 
deeper  and  deeper  into  the  gloom.  And  the 
little  brown  house  people  held  their  breath  in 
very  dread  of  the  coming  hours.  And  good 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  43 

Doctor  Fisher  lay  awake  every  night  after  the 
day's  hard  work,  going  over  and  over  in  his 
troubled  mind  how  he  might  save  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's boy. 

"  O  dear  me ! "  a  voice  broke  in  upon  the 
woodshed,  where  Davie  sat  on  the  chopping- 
block.  His  legs  ached  dreadfully,  but  he 
wasn't  thinking  of  them.  He  was  awfully 
afraid  he  was  going  to  cry  after  all,  and  he 
twisted  up  his  small  cheeks,  and  held  his  hands 
together  oh,  oh  so  tightly! 

"  Just  as  I  expected,"  Miss  Jerusha  Hender- 
son put  her  head  in,  "  all  this  talk  about  the 
Pepper  childern  workin'  to  help  their  mother 
is  just  rubbish,"  she  sniffed  and  came  up  to 
the  chopping-block ;  "there  you  set,  you  lazy 
boy,  you." 

"  I'm  not  a  lazy  boy,"  said  David,  getting 
off  from  the  chopping-block.  "  Mamsie  told 
me  there  wasn't  anything  to  do  now."  His 
little  cheeks  burned  like  fire. 

"  Anything  to  do !  "  Miss  Jerusha  raised  her 
long  fingers  and  waved  them  about.  "  Did  I 
ever  —  and  look  at  all  this  messy  place !  Why 
ain't  you  choppin'  wood,  I  sh'd  like  to  know  ?  " 

"  Mamsie  told  me  not  to  do  anything  till  she 


44  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

called  me."  His  head  ached  dreadfully,  and 
he  wanted  to  run,  but  he  stood  his  ground. 

"If  ever  I  saw  a  woman  who  spoiled  her 
childern,  it's  your  Ma,"  said  Miss  Jerusha, 
sniffing  again.  "  It's  no  wonder  she  has 
trouble." 

David  swallowed  hard,  then  he  looked  up 
into  her  snappy  little  black  eyes.  "  I  wish 
you'd  go  away,"  he  said  quietly. 

"Of  all  the  impertinent  boys!"  exclaimed 
the  parson's  sister,  an  angry  flush  spreading 
over  her  gaunt  face.  "  Well,  I'm  not  going,  I 
can  tell  you  that.  And  I  shall  come  every  day 
and  do  my  duty  by  you,  David  Pepper." 

"  No,"  said  David,  "  you  mustn't  come  any 


more." 


"  And  I  am  going  to  speak  to  your  Ma  now, 
and  tell  her  what  a  naughty  boy  you  are." 
Miss  Jerusha  picked  up  her  gingham  gown  and 
went  off  on  angry  feet  out  of  the  woodshed. 

David  ran  past  her,  and  up  to  the  door  of  the 
little  brown  house.  When  she  got  there  he 
was  holding  the  latch  with  both  hands. 

"  You  get  off  that  door-step ! "  cried  Miss 
Jerusha,  now  in  a  towering  passion,  and  seiz- 
ing his  little  calico  blouse,  "  I  declare  I  just 


THE  DARK  CLOUD  45 

ache  to  give  you  a  whipping !  "  She  raised  one 
long  hand  threateningly.  "  You  don't  get  any 
with  that  silly  mother  of  yours.  Get  off  that 
door-step,  I  say !  It's  my  duty  to  speak  to  your 
Ma." 

"  You  can't/'  said  Davie  stoutly,  "  because 
you  can't  get  in."  He  gripped  the  latch 
tighter,  and  his  blue  eyes  flashed  just  like 
Mother  Pepper's  black  ones. 

"Can't,  hey?"  Miss  Jerusha's  hard  hand 
was  laid  not  very  gently  on  David's  little  ones 
holding  the  old  latch.  Her  other  was  raised 
threateningly.  "  Let  go  of  that  latch,  or  I'll 
box  your  ears." 

Davie  clung  tighter  than  ever  to  the  latch. 
Down  came  Miss  Jerusha's  hand  on  his  small 
ear.  An  angry  red  spot  was  on  her  cheek,  and 
she  struck  again. 

"What's  this  — what's  this?"  Doctor 
Fisher  came  briskly  up  the  path.  The  parson's 
sister  turned  suddenly,  her  hand  falling  to  her 
side. 

"  This  boy  has  been  very  naughty,"  she  said, 
the  blood  rushing  over  her  gaunt  cheeks. 

Dr.  Fisher  set  his  big  spectacles  straight, 
and  regarded  her  keenly. 


46  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  He  has  sassed  me  by  holding  this  door,  an* 
I'm  goin'  in  to  see  his  Ma." 

"  Davie's  just  right,"  said  the  little  doctor. 
He  turned  to  give  an  approving  smile  to  him 
still  clinging  to  the  old  latch. 

"Jest  right!"  screamed  Miss  Jerusha;  in  a 
towering  passion.  "  Do  you  know  who  I  be  ? 
I'm  Parson  Henderson's  sister." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Doctor  Fisher,  "  and 
I'm  dreadfully  sorry  for  the  parson.  I  wish  I 
could  help  him.  But  as  for  David  here,  he's 
got  my  permission  to  keep  out  anybody  he 
wants  to.  Mrs.  Pepper  isn't  to  be  worried  by 
visitors." 

"  I  shall  report  you  to  the  Parson,"  said 
Miss  Jerusha,  getting  off  from  the  flat  stone. 

"  Yes,  do,"  said  Doctor  Fisher,  as  she  stalked 
down  the  path.  Then  he  went  into  the  little 
brown  house  to  battle  for  Joel's  life. 


CHAPTER  IV 
SUNLIGHT  THROUGH  THE  CLOUD 

TTVEACON  BLODGETT  exclaimed, 
•*-^  "  Tain't  no  use,  I  can't  set  myself  to 
work  on  nothin',"  and  then  leaned  helplessly 
against  the  barn  door. 

Mrs.  Blodgett  sighed.  She  was  far  beyond 
words.  At  last  she  threw  her  apron  over  her 
head.  When  she  did  that,  the  Deacon  knew 
she  was  pretty  far  gone. 

"Don't,  Ma,"  he  begged,  "take  on  so. 
Hem ! "  He  swallowed  hard  and  smote  one 
big  hand  across  the  other.  "  'Twouldn't  be  so 
bad  ef  I  c'd  jest  see  David  a-runnin'  in  to  pile 
wood.  Land!  how  smart  that  boy  works  to 
try  to  take  Joel's  place !  " 

"  Don't  speak  of  Joel,  Pa,"  said  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett in  a  muffled  voice.  "  Mercy  me,  ef  he  sh'd 
die ! " 

47 


48  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Joel  ain't  a-goin'  to  die,"  declared  Deacon 
Blodgett,  stoutly,  "  don't  you  think  it,  Ma." 

"  I  d'no,"  Mrs  Blodgett  shook  her  head  till 
the  apron  flapped  dismally.  "  No  mortal  man 
c'd  do  more'n  Doctor  Fisher.  Do  look  down 
th'  road,  Pa,  an'  see  ef  his  gig  is  comin'." 

"  Dr.  Fisher  won't  leave  the  little  brown 
house  to-day  till  Joel's  better,"  declared  the 
Deacon,  not  moving;  but  his  eyes  roved  anx- 
iously up  and  down  the  thoroughfare. 

"  I  wish  you'd  go  over  to  Mis  Pepper's,  an' 
find  out  how  Joel  is,"  Mrs.  Blodgett's  voice 
came  out  in  a  thin  little  quaver  from  behind  the 
apron. 

The  Deacon  braced  up  firmer  yet  against  the 
barn  door.  Then  he  said,  "  You  better  go 
yourself,  Mother." 

"  Mercy !  "  ejaculated  his  wife  with  a  shiver, 
"  I'm  about  sick  as  'tis  now,  I  couldn't  never 
face  Mis  Pepper  —  O  dear  me !  " 

"  Neither  can  I  —  an'  all  is,  I'm  goin'  to 
work."  Deacon  Blodgett  brought  himself  sud- 
denly away  from  the  barn  door  and  strode  off. 

"  Where  you  goin',  Pa?  "  Down  fell  Mrs. 
Blodgett's  apron  from  her  head. 

"  Down  to  th'  east  paster,"  said  the  Deacon, 


SUNLIGHT  49 

not  turning  his  head.     "  I  can't  stand  still  no 
longer  an'  think  o'  nothin'  but  that  boy." 

"  Well,  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  stay  to  home,"  de- 
clared Mrs.  Blodgett.  "  Nobody  to  talk  to  but 
Mary  Ann,  an'  she  keeps  harpin'  on  the  Pep- 
perses.  I'll  go  down  an'  see  Grandma  Bas- 


com." 


So  she  tied  on  her  bonnet  with  trembling 
fingers  and  hurried  off.  When  she  left  the 
main  road  and  struck  the  little  lane  that  led 
down  to  Grandma's  house,  she  stopped 
abruptly.  "  O  dear  me !  that's  almost  as  bad 
as  to  go  to  Mis  Pepper's,  for  Mis  Bascom'll 
take  on  somethin'  dreadful.  My!  what's  that 
in  th'  bushes!" 

A  little  crackling  noise  struck  her  ears,  and 
one  or  two  small  branches  stirred  in  the  shrub- 
bery alongside  the  road.  There  wasn't  any 
wind  to  speak  of,  and  Mrs.  Blodgett  paused  in 
fright,  her  fingers  on  her  lips;  but  being  no 
coward,  she  marched  up  and  shook  the  near- 
est bush, 

"  We  don't  want  no  tramps  in  Badgertown," 
she  began.  Then  she  burst  out,  "  Why,  David 
Pepper! " 

There  on  the  ground,  his  face  grubbing  into 


50  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

the  grass,  lay  David  squirming  back  and  forth, 
his  little  hands  clenched. 

"  You  poor  little  creeter,  you !  "  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett  got  down  on  the  ground  beside  him,  and 
fairly  gathered  him  up  to  her  ample  bosom. 
"  You  couldn't  cry  in  the  little  brown  house, 
an*  so  youVe  come  out  here.  Poor  lamb !  " 

"  Joel!  "  'Twas  all  that  Da  vie  was  capable 
of. 

"  There  —  there  —  now  you  jest  stop !  " 
Mrs.  Blodgett  spoke  sharply,  she  was  so  scared, 
for  the  sobs  were  shaking  David  from  top  to 
toe;  but  to  stop  was  beyond  him,  so  she  laid 
him  down  on  the  grass. 

"  Now  I'm  jest  goin'  to  your  house  an'  see 
how  things  is,  Davie.  Then  I'll  come  back  an' 
tell  you."  She  got  up  with  difficulty  and  shook 
her  calico  gown  free  from  the  dirt  and  mold. 

"  Don't  —  don't !  "  screamed  David,  sitting 
up.  "  Oh,  Mrs.  Blodgett,  don't! " 

"  Yes,  I'm  goin',  Davie,  an'  you  better  come 
along  of  me."  She  held  out  her  hand. 
"  Your  ma  would  want  you  to."  "  'Tain't 
half  so  bad  as  to  let  him  stay  here  an'  be  scared 
to  death  in  them  bushes,"  she  reflected. 

"  Would  Mamsie  want  me  to  ?  "  asked  Davie, 


SUNLIGHT  51 

blinking  at  her  through  the  tears  that  ran  down 
his  cheeks. 

"  She  certainly  would/'  declared  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett.  "  O  my ! "  she  cried,  pricking  up  her 
ears.  "  Well,  you  wait  here  a  minute.  I'll 
come  back  for  you." 

She  darted  down  the  road,  if  such  locomotion 
as  she  set  up  could  be  called  darting,  and  pres- 
ently she  saw  just  ahead  Dr.  Fisher's  old  gig. 

"  Wait! "  she  tried  to  scream,  but  her  tongue 
flapped  up  to  the  roof  of  her  mouth  and  stuck 
there,  as  she  panted  on. 

A  farmer's  boy  in  an  old  wagon  coming 
around  the  corner  thrust  his  fingers  in  his 
mouth  and  gave  such  a  whistle  that  the  little 
doctor  thrust  out  his  head. 

"  Lady  wants  you  —  she's  a-runnin'  fit  to 
split,"  said  the  boy,  pointing  to  the  Deacon's 
wife  pounding  the  dust  up  dreadfully  at  every 
step. 

Dr.  Fisher  pulled  up  the  old  horse  and 
hopped  out  of  the  gig. 

"  Good  gracious,  is  that  you,  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett !  "  he  exclaimed,  hurrying  to  meet  her. 

The  Deacon's  wife  was  beyond  speech,  only 
being  able  to  puff,  her  hand  at  her  side  and  her 


52  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

face  very  red.  So  the  little  Doctor  began  the 
conversation. 

"  Do  you  know  where  David  Pepper  is  ?  "  he 
asked  anxiously. 

That  made  Mrs.  Blodgett  find  her  tongue. 
"  He's  in  them  bushes,"  she  said,  pointing  a 
shaking  finger  back  down  the  road. 

"  Get  in  —  get  right  in,"  said  Dr.  Fisher 
joyfully,  taking  hold  of  her  fat  arm,  and  hurry- 
ing her  to  the  gig,  "  and  we'll  get  Davie  —  his 
mother's  awfully  worried  about  him." 

Mrs.  Blodgett  had  no  chance  to  speak  fur- 
ther until  the  gig  was  well  under  way  for 
David's  bush.  "  He  don't  look  as  ef  Joel  was 
worse,"  she  said  to  herself,  peering  into  the 
little  Doctor's  face,  "  but  I'm  mortal  afraid  to 
ask." 

"And  now  that  Joel  is  going  to  get  well," 
said  Doctor  Fisher,  "  why  we  must  get  David 
home  to  his  mother." 

"  Joel  goin'  to  git  well''  screamed  Mrs.  Blod- 
gett, nipping  his  arm,  and  turning  her  red  face 
toward  him. 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  declared  the  little  Doctor. 
"  Praise  God  —  Joel  is  saved  to  us  all !  "  His 
face  was  very  grave,  but  there  was  a  light  in 


SUNLIGHT  53 

the  eyes  back  of  the  big  spectacles  that  made 
the  Deacon's  wife  say  brokenly,  "  Bless  th' 
Lord!" 

"  You  may  well  say  that,"  said  Dr.  Fisher 
brokenly. 

"  An'  you  too  —  I  say  bless  you !  "  cried  the 
Deacon's  wife  heartily,  "  for  I  guess  th'  Lord 
Himself  can't  do  much  ef  folks  won't  help,  too. 
Well,  here's  David  in  that  bush  there." 

Dr.  Fisher  pulled  up  the  old  horse  sharply, 
tossed  the  reins  over  the  dashboard  and  leaped 
out  over  the  wheel. 

"  Hulloa,  David !  "  he  cried,  pushing  back 
the  branches.  "  Well  —  well !  " 

Davie  shivered  and  shrank  back  further 
under  the  bush. 

"  Oh,  Joey  is  going  to  get  well,"  said  the 
little  Doctor  cheerily,  poking  his  big  spectacles 
in  under  the  branches. 

David  sprang  up  and  threw  his  arms  con- 
vulsively around  the  little  Doctor's  neck. 

"  There  —  there  —  good  gracious,  you  hug 
worse'n  a  bear,  Dave,"  cried  Dr.  Fisher, 
bundling  him  up  in  his  arms.  "  Now  then,  hop 
in  with  you !  "  He  deposited  him  on  the  old 
leather  seat,  and  jumped  into  the  gig  beside 


54  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

him.  "  We  must  get  you  home  to  your  mother 
before  you  can  say  Jack  Robinson !  " 

If  David's  legs  had  a  hard  time  of  it  when 
Joel  was  so  sick,  it  was  nothing  to  the  way 
they  had  to  run  now  that  the  dark  cloud  had 
passed  over  the  little  brown  house. 

Up  and  down  the  loft  stairs  where  Joel 
tossed  impatiently  on  the  shake-down,  Davie 
toiled  to  suit  Joel's  demands,  who  wanted  some- 
thing every  minute.  At  last  Mrs.  Pepper  inter- 
fered. "  You  mustn't,  Joey,"  she  said ; 
"  Davie  will  be  worn  out." 

"  I've  been  sick,"  declared  Joel,  with  an  im- 
portant air,  "  and  Dave  likes  to  get  things." 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  Davie  eagerly,  and  lifting 
a  pale  face.  "  Do  let  me,  Mamsie." 

"  There,  you  see,"  said  Joel  triumphantly. 

"  No,"  said  Mother  Pepper,  "  you  mustn't 
send  him  over  the  stairs  so  much,  Joey.  He's 
very  tired." 

"  I'm  not  much  tired,"  said  David,  wishing 
that  Mamsie  wouldn't  keep  him  from  waiting 
on  Joel. 

"Yes,  you  are,  Davie  child.  You've  been 
mother's  boy  all  these  weeks,  and  worked  so 
hard." 


SUNLIGHT  55 

A  pink  flush  crept  all  over  David's  pale  little 
face.  He  folded  his  hands,  and  stood  quite 
still. 

"  I'm  mother's  boy,  too,"  declared  Joel, 
"  ain't  I,  Mamsie  ?  "  He  rolled  over  in  the 
shake-down,  and  fastened  his  black  eyes  on 
her. 

"Indeed  you  are,"  declared  Mrs.  Pepper 
warmly,  "  both  of  you.  But,  Joel,  I  want  you 
to  remember  how  hard  Davie  has  worked  all  the 
time  that  Ben  and  you  have  been  sick.  You 
must  never  forget  that,  Joey." 

"  I  won't  forget,"  said  Joel,  "  and  I  want  to 
get  up."  With  that  he  gave  his  legs  a  fling, 
and  ran  his  toes  out  of  bed. 

"Oh,  Joel,"  cried  Mother  Pepper  in  alarm, 
"you  mustn't  do  that.  It  is  the  very  worst 
thing  that  could  happen  to  a  boy  with  the 
measles  —  to  get  his  feet  cold."  And  she 
tucked  him  in  again  snug  and  tight. 

"  My  toes  are  hot,"  said  Joel,  wriggling 
worse  than  ever,  and  making  the  old  comforter 
bulge  up  at  the  side. 

"  I'll  sit  on  it,  Mamsie,  and  hold  it  down," 
said  Davie,  getting  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 
"There." 


56  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Owl  No,  you  don't,"  declared  Joel,  bounc- 
ing up  so  suddenly  that  Davie  slid  off  to  the 
floor  in  a  little  heap. 

"  Joel  —  Joel !  "  reproved  Mother  Pepper. 

"  Well,  he  was  sitting  all  over  my  toes,"  de- 
clared Joel,  throwing  his  legs  about,  so  that 
Mother  Pepper  had  to  tuck  him  all  up  again. 

"Can't  you  pin  him  in,  Mamsie?"  asked 
Davie,  picking  himself  up,  to  hover  over  the 
bed.  "  I  will  get  your  big  shawl-pin,"  and  he 
started  for  the  stairs. 

"  Hoh !  I  ain't  going  to  be  pinned  in  bed," 
cried  Joel  in  a  dudgeon.  "  Mamsie,  make  him 
come  back,"  he  whimpered.  "  Don't  let  him 
get  the  pin,  I'll  be  good." 

"  See  that  you  are  then,  Joel,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper.  "  Come  back,  Davie,"  as  he  was  half- 
way over  the  stairs.  "  Joel  is  going  to  be  a 
good  boy,  and  keep  his  feet  in  bed." 

"  O  dear,"  grumbled  Joel,  flouncing  all  over 
the  bed  as  David  ran  back,  "  I  want  Polly  to 
come  up  and  tell  me  a  story." 

"  Polly  can't  come  now,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 
There  was  a  little  white  line  around  her  mouth ; 
she  had  her  back  to  the  bed,  so  that  Joel  could 
not  see  her  face. 


SUNLIGHT  57 

"  She  never  comes,"  grumbled  Joel.  "  Oh, 
I'm  so  hot.  Why  can't  she  come,  Mamsie  ?  " 

"  Can't  I  tell  a  story  ?  "  said  David,  coming 
close.  "  I  will,  Joey." 

"  Phoh !  "  Joel  bent  his  black  eyes  on  him. 
"  You  can't  tell  a  story,  Dave  Pepper." 

"  Now  I  think  Davie  could  tell  a  story  very 
nicely,"  said  Mother  Pepper  with  a  smile  for 
David. 

"  I  can  try,"  said  Davie,  his  heart  beating 
dreadfully  at  the  mere  thought.  But  some- 
thing had  to  be  done  to  keep  Joel  from  finding 
out  that  Polly's  eyes  were  so  bad. 

"  All  right,"  said  Joel  ungraciously,  "  but  I 
know  it  won't  be  good  for  anything." 

"  Now  that's  very  nice  of  you,  Davie,  and  I 
know  it  will  be  a  good  story,  Joel."  Mrs.  Pep- 
per gave  a  final  tuck-in  to  the  old  comforter, 
and  went  quickly  down  stairs. 

"  Get  up  on  the  bed,  Dave,"  said  Joel,  be- 
ginning to  feel  better  about  the  story,  since 
Mamsie  thought  it  would  be  a  good  one.  So 
David  hopped  on  the  foot  of  the  shake-down 
and  folded  his  hands,  and  wondered  how  in  the 
world  he  was  ever  going  to  begin. 

"  Well,  begin,"  said  Joel  impatiently. 


58  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Well  once,"  said  David,  "there  was—" 

"  Yes,"  said  Joel,  "  go  on." 

"  There  was  — " 

"  You  said  that  before." 

"  I  know  it.     Well,  there  was  — " 

"  Stop  saying  there  was,"  cried  Joel  crossly. 

"  But  there  really  was,"  insisted  David,  feel- 
ing sure  that  in  another  moment  he  should  cer- 
tainly jump  off  from  the  bed,  and  fly  over  the 
stairs. 

"Well,  go  on.  Was  what?"  roared  Joel, 
flinging  back  the  comforter. 

"Oh,  you  mustn't  do  that,"  cried  David, 
sliding  along  on  the  bed,  still  feeling  that  he 
would  rather  do  the  tucking  up  than  to  tackle 
the  story.  "  Mamsie  said  you  must  keep  the 
clothes  up,"  and  he  pulled  the  comforter  up 
around  Joel's  neck. 

"  Go  away,"  cried  Joel,  "  and  you  can't  tell 
a  story  any  more  than  —  than  —  an  old  hop- 
per-toad." 

"  I'm  not  a  hopper-toad,"  cried  David,  a  little 
pink  flush  coming  over  his  face. 

"  Yes,  you  are,  Dave  Pepper,  a  bad  old 
hopper-toad,"  insisted  Joel  vindictively,  "and 


SUNLIGHT  59 

you  don't  know  any  story,  you  old  hopper-toad, 
you!" 

David's  face  worked  dreadfully.  "I  ain't 
—  and  I  won't  tell  you  any  story."  He  got 
off  from  the  bed  and  marched  to  the  stairs. 

"  Oh,  you  must,"  cried  Joel  in  alarm.  A  bad 
story  was  better  than  none.  "  You  promised, 
and  you've  got  to,  or  I'll  call  Mamsie,  and  tell 
her."  He  tossed  off  the  old  comforter  again. 

"  Don't  call  Mamsie,"  cried  Davie,  hurrying 
back. 

"  All  right,"  said  Joel.  Then  he  snuggled 
down  in  the  bed,  and  drew  the  long-suffering 
bedclothes  up  so  that  only  his  ears  were  stick- 
ing out.  "  Go  on." 

"  Well,"  said  David,  climbing  on  the  foot  of 
the  bed  again  and  beginning  very  slowly, 
"  Once  there  was  — " 

"Don't  say  that  again,"  commanded  Joel, 
sticking  up  his  face  from  the  folds  of  the  com- 
forter. 

"  A  boy,"  said  David  hurriedly. 

"  How  big  was  he  ?  "  asked  Joel  with  faint 
interest.  But  it  was  just  as  well  to  get  the 
age  settled  on  in  the  beginning. 


60  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Oh,  about  as  big  as  — "     David  hesitated. 

"  Have  him  as  big  as  me,"  said  Joel,  "  and 
his  arms  as  big,"  he  thrust  out  one,  "  and  his 
legs  just  as  exactly  as  big,"  and  he  stuck  out  his 
foot. 

"  Oh,  get  back,  Joe,"  cried  David,  frantically 
pushing  up  the  bed-clothes. 

"  Well,  go  on,"  said  Joel,  huddling  down 
again. 

"  And  this  boy  was  going  along  one  day  — " 

"What  was  the  boy's  name?"  asked  Joel 
suddenly. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  David  helplessly. 

"Don't  know,"  Joel  gave  another  kick  to 
the  clothes,  and  snorted,  "  Hoh !  —  you're  a 
great  one,  Dave  Pepper,  to  tell  a  story  about  a 
boy  and  not  know  his  name." 

"Well,  it  was—"  David  floundered  help- 
lessly, "  Peter,"  he  brought  out  finally. 

"All  right,"  said  Joel,  quite  satisfied. 
"Now  go  on." 

"  Well,  one  day,  he  was  going  to  school." 

"  Oh,  don't  have  him  go  to  school,"  whined 
Joel,  dreadfully  disappointed  that  a  boy  with 
such  a  satisfying  name  as  Peter  should  waste 
time  over  books.  "  Make  him  going  to  shoot 


SUNLIGHT  61 

something  —  Go  —  Bang !  "  Joel  threw  up 
his  arms,  and  screwed  up  one  eye  over  an  im- 
aginary gun. 

"  All  right,  I  will,"  said  David  accommodat- 
ingly. "  Well  —  but  you  must  put  in  your 
arms,  Joel." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Joel,  huddling  back  in  bed 
again,  "  go  on,  Dave." 

"  Well,  so  Peter  was  going  to  school, 
and—" 

"  No  —  no,"  interrupted  Joel,  "  he  was  go- 
ing out  to  shoot  something;  you  said  so,  Dave." 

"  So  I  did,"  said  Davie.  "  Well,  Peter  was 
going  out  to  shoot  something,  and  — " 

"  What  was  he  going  to  shoot?  "  demanded 
Joel. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Davie  helplessly. 

"  O  dear,"  grumbled  Joel,  "  you  don't  know 
any  story,  and  you  won't  let  Peter  do  any- 
thing," and  he  flounced  all  over  the  bed. 

"  Oh,  I  will  —  I  will,"  cried  Davie  in  great 
distress.  "  I'll  let  Peter  shoot  anything  you 
want  —  I  will  truly,  Joel." 

"  I'd  rather  have  a  bear,"  said  Joel,  stopping 
his  tossing  about ;  "  no,  two  bears.  Make  it 
two  bears,  Dave,"  he  cried,  very  much  excited. 


62  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  will,"  said  David,  thinking  it  just  as  easy 
to  deal  with  two  bears,  as  long  as  he  didn't 
know  in  the  least  what  to  do  with  one.  "  Well, 
Peter  was  going  to  school  —  I  mean  out  to 
shoot  something,  and  he  went  down  the 
road—" 

"With  his  gun  over  his  shoulder,"  inter- 
rupted Joel. 

"Yes,  with  his  gun  over  his  shoulder,  and 
—  and  then  he  turned  down  the  corner." 

"  Don't  have  any  corner,"  said  Joel,  "  he 
went  right  straight  into  the  woods,  slap  bang! " 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  David,  "he  went  into  the 
woods,  and — " 

"  And  have  the  bear  —  no,  the  two  bears, 
come  right  now  this  very  minute." 

"  Yes,"  said  David,  "  I  will.  Well,  Peter 
went  into  the  woods,  and  he  saw  a  big  tree, 
and—" 

"  Ow!  Don't  have  any  tree,"  howled  Joel. 
"  Make  a  big  hole  for  the  bears  to  live  in." 

"  I  won't  have  any  tree,"  said  David. 

"  Peter  heard  an  awful  noise,"  and  Joel 
growled  fiercely,  "  and  all  of  a  sudden  —  gee 
whiz!  and  Peter  looked  up  at  a  big  pile  of 


SUNLIGHT  63 

stones  —  no,  let's  have  it  a  cave,  an  awful  big 
cave." 

"  Yes,  let's,"  said  David,  leaning  forward  in 
great  delight  from  his  post  on  the  foot  of  the 
bed. 

"  Oh,  such  a  big  noise ! "  and  Joel  gave  an- 
other growl,  so  much  worse  than  the  first  that 
Davie  gave  a  little  scream,  and  a  delightful 
shiver  ran  up  and  down  his  small  back,  as  Joel 
showed  all  his  little  white  teeth,  "  and  Peter  put 
up  his  gun,  for  the  two  bears  were  looking  out 
of  the  cave  just  like  this  — "  Joel's  black  eyes 
were  simply  dreadful,  they  were  so  big,  and 
he  bounced  up  to  sit  in  the  middle  of  the 
bed. 

"  Oh,  Joey/'  exclaimed  David  in  great  dis- 
tress, "  do  lie  down.  Mamsie  won't  like  it  — 
Oh,  Joey!" 

"O  dear!"  Joel  tumbled  back.  "I  can't 
shoot  the  bears  lying  down." 

"  Well,  you've  got  to,"  said  Davie,  tucking 
him  up  again,  "  for  Mamsie  would  feel  dread- 
fully to  have  you  sit  up.  Now  go  on  about 
the  bears." 

"  Well,    the    two    bears  —  no,    one    bear, 


64  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

jumped  out  of  the  cave  first,  and  Peter  put  up 
his  gun,  and  Bang!  and  over  went  the  bear, 
and—" 

"  Oh,  Joey !  "  cried  Davie,  in  his  post  again 
on  the  foot  of  the  shake-down,  his  blue  eyes 
aflame,  "  did  Peter  kill  the  bear?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course/'  said  Joel,  "  just  as  dead 
as  dead  could  be,  and  the  other  one,  too  —  oh, 
no/'  he  cried  suddenly,  "  I'm  going  to  have 
the  other  bear  chew  Peter." 

"  Oh,  no,  Joel,"  exclaimed  David  in  horror. 
It  was  bad  enough  for  a  boy  to  be  kept  from 
school  and  turned  into  the  woods,  without  be- 
ing chewed  up  by  a  bear.  "  Don't  let  him, 
Joe,"  he  begged,  clasping  his  hands  in  great 
distress. 

"  Well,  he  won't  chew  him  all  up,"  said  Joel 
unwillingly,  "  only  his  legs  and  — " 

"  Oh,  don't  let  the  bear  chew  Peter's  legs," 
cried  David,  leaning  over  close  to  Joel's  face; 
"  then  Peter  can't  run  away." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  have  Peter  run  away," 
declared  Joel,  bobbing  his  black  head  decidedly. 
"  Oh,  yes,  I  will,  too,"  he  cried  joyfully,  and 
clapping  his  hands.  "  I'll  have  the  bear  chew 
him  a  little  on  one  leg,  and  then  when  Peter 


SUNLIGHT  65 

runs,  the  bear  can  chase  him,  and  chew  him  on 
the  other,  and  — " 

"Joel,"  exclaimed  David,  with  very  red 
cheeks,  "  I  think  that  bear  is  a  bad  old  bear,  and 
I  don't  like  him." 

"  And  then  he  can  chew  Peter  all  up,  every 
teenty  speck/'  cried  Joel,  with  sparkling  eyes. 
"  Yes  sir !  "  smacking  his  lips. 

David  tumbled  quickly  off  from  the  bed,  and 
made  for  the  stairs.  "  I'm  not  going  to  stay 
here,  if  you  have  Peter  chewed  up,"  he  de- 
clared, his  blue  eyes  flashing. 

"  Dave,  don't  go. "  Up  went  Joel's  head 
from  the  pillow,  "  I  won't  let  him  be  chewed 
up.  You  can  have  that  bear  for  your  own. 
Don't  go,  Dave." 

"  Can  I  have  him  for  my  very  own  ?  "  asked 
David,  drawing  near  the  bed. 

"  Yes,  you  may,"  promised  Joel,  swallowing 
hard,  "  if  you'll  come  back." 

"I  sha'n't  let  Peter  be  chewed  up,"  said 
Davie,  clambering  on  to  his  old  place  on  the 
bed  once  more,  "  and  I  sha'n't  have  him  shoot 
the  bear  either." 

"What  will  you  do?"  cried  Joel  in  great 
astonishment. 


66  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I'm  going  to  have  the  bear  go  right  into 
his  hole  again;  and  Peter  is  going  to  school/' 
said  David  with  great  decision. 

"O  dear  me!"  Joel  rolled  over  in  terrible 
disappointment. 

"  He's  my  bear,"  said  David,  "  you  gave  him 
to  me,  and — " 

"  Well,  Peter  isn't  yours,"  said  Joel,  inter- 
rupting. "  I'm  going  to  have  Peter,  so  there !  " 

"You  may  have  the  bear,  and  I'll  take 
Peter,"  said  David  eagerly. 

"You  may.  I  don't  want  Peter  —  you 
won't  let  him  do  anything,"  said  Joel.  "  I'd 
a  great  deal  rather  have  the  bear,"  he  brought 
up  in  great  satisfaction. 

"  Well,  how  nice  that  is,  Davie,  for  you  to 
tell  Joel  a  story."  Mother  Pepper  coming  up 
the  stairs  to  the  loft,  beamed  approvingly  at 
him. 

David's  cheeks  got  very  hot.  "  I  didn't  tell 
the  story,"  he  said,  and  his  face  fell. 

"  He  had  Peter,"  said  Joel  quickly. 

"  Joel  had  two  bears,  and  he  told  all  about 
'em,"  said  David ;  "  I  didn't  tell  any  story," 
he  said  again  in  a  sorry  little  voice. 


SUNLIGHT  67 

"  And  —  and  —  he  told  about  Peter,  and 
he's  going  to  school,"  Joel  brought  up  with  a 
wry  face. 

"Well,  now,"  said  Mother  Pepper,  "  I  think 
that  must  have  been  a  very  good  story,  and  how 
nice  that  you  two  boys  could  tell  it  together." 


CHAPTER  V 
ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD 

T)HRONSIE  crept  up  to  the  woodpile  and 
*  peered  around  it.  "Are  you  sick, 
Davie  ?  "  she  asked  in  a  soft  little  voice. 

David  jumped  up,  tossing  the  soft  waves  of 
light  hair  from  his  forehead.  "  I'm  not  sick 
a  bit,"  he  said. 

"What  makes  you  cry  then?"  persisted 
Phronsie,  picking  up  her  pink  calico  dress  to 
clamber  over  the  wood. 

Davie  turned  his  back  and  wiped  his  hot 
cheeks. 

"  I  see  some  tears,"  said  Phronsie  in  a  dis- 
tressed little  voice ;  and  stumbling  on  over  the 
wood,  a  big  stick  slipped  down  against  her  toes. 

David  whirled  around.  "  Don't  come !  "  he 
screamed,  making  frantic  dives  over  the  wood- 
pile. Away  went  two  or  three  sticks,  carrying 
Phronsie  with  them. 

68 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        69 

It  was  all  done  in  a  minute,  and  he  had  her 
out  from  under  them.  When  he  saw  the  blood 
on  her  little  arm,  his  cheeks  went  very  white, 
and  his  legs  wobbled. 

"  I've  got  to  get  Mamsie,"  he  said,  and 
rushed  for  the  kitchen  door. 

"  I'm  going  to  get  Mamsie,"  wailed  Phronsie 
after  him. 

David  lent  speed  to  his  feet,  and  burst  into 
the  old  kitchen  where  Polly  was  brushing  up 
the  floor. 

"Phronsie's  hurt!"  he  screamed.  "  Do 
come,  Polly.  I've  spilled  wood  all  over  her." 
With  that  he  rushed  into  the  bedroom. 
"  Mamsie  —  why  where  — " 

Polly  dropped  the  broom  and  flew  out  of 
doors,  Davie  at  her  heels. 

"  I  can't  find  Mamsie,"  he  panted. 

"  No,  she's  gone  to  Mrs.  Blodgett's,"  Polly 
threw  over  her  shoulder  as  she  ran  on. 
"  Where  is  Phronsie  ?  Oh,  Davie,  where  is 
she?" 

"  By  the  woodpile,"  gasped  David,  flying 
back  of  the  shed. 

But  when  they  both  got  there,  Phronsie  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  To  find  Mamsie  was  her 


70  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

one  thought,  and  since  she  knew  that  Mother 
Pepper  was  helping  Mrs.  Blodgett,  why  of 
course  the  hurt  arm  must  get  there  as  soon  as 
possible.  So  she  wiped  up  her  tears  on  her 
small  pink  apron,  and  trudged  on  past  the  lane 
that  led  to  Grandma  Bascom's,  and  into  the 
high  road. 

Polly  and  David  pulled  the  wood  about  with 
frantic  hands,  Davie  saying  all  the  while,  "  She 
was  here.  Oh,  Polly,  she  was." 

"  Now,  David,"  Polly  seized  his  arm,  "  you 
must  stop  saying  that  for  she  can't  be  under 
here.  See,"  she  pointed  to  the  sticks  of  wood 
sprawling  about. 

"  But  she  was  here,"  declared  David,  paw- 
ing wildly  in  and  out  among  the  sticks. 

Polly  darted  off  into  the  shed  and  hunted 
in  each  corner,  calling  Phronsie  at  every  step. 
Then  she  ran  out  to  comfort  David,  and  to 
keep  up  the  search. 

"  I  declare  to  goodness,  John,  ef  here  ain't  a 
little  girl  on  th'  road!" 

A  woman  in  an  old  high  farm  wagon 
twitched  her  husband's  arm.  "Do  stop  an' 
take  her  in.  My  sakes!  ain't  she  a  mite, 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        71 

though ! "  pushing  back  her  big  sunbonnet  in 
order  to  see  the  better. 

But  before  the  old  white  horse  lumbered  up 
to  the  mite,  down  went  Phronsie  in  a  small 
heap  in  the  middle  of  the  dusty  road. 

"  John  —  John !  "  screamed  his  wife. 
"  Stop !  You're  a-runnin'  over  her !  " 

"  Land  o'  Goshen !  ain't  I  stoppin'  ?  "  roared 
her  husband  at  her.  The  old  horse  almost  sat 
down  on  his  tired  haunches  at  the  sudden 
twitch  on  the  reins.  Then  the  farmer  leaned 
forward  and  stared  ahead  down  the  road. 

"  Ef  you  ain't  goin'  to  git  out  an'  pick  up 
that  child,  I  am,  John  Brown.  Sech  a  mortal 
slow  man  I  never  see,"  snorted  his  wife  scorn- 
fully. 

"  An'  sech  a  flutter-budget  as  you  be,  no  man 
ever  saw,"  Mr.  Brown  found  time  to  say  as  he 
got  slowly  down  over  the  wheel. 

"  Somebody's  got  to  flutter-budget  in  this 
world,"  said  his  wife  after  him,  as  he  walked 
slowly  over  to  the  small  pink  heap,  "  or  every- 
body'd  go  to  sleep.  Bring  her  to  me,  John. — 
Oh,  do  hurry !  Bring  her  to  me !  " 

"  I  want  Mamsie,"  said  Phronsie,  as  Mr. 
Brown  leaned  over  her. 


72  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Hey  ?  "  said  the  farmer,  bringing  his  rough 
face  with  its  stubby  beard  close  to  her  little  one. 

"  I'm  going  to  my  Mamsie,"  said  Phronsie, 
her  blue  eyes  searching  his  face,  "  and  my  foots 
are  tired."  With  that  she  put  up  her  arms. 

"  I'll  be  blowed ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Brown. 
Then  he  saw  the  little  blood-stained  arm  and  he 
started  back. 

"  Take  me/'  said  Phronsie,  as  she  clutched 
his  shaggy  coat,  "  please,  to  my  Mamsie." 

"  Where'd  you  git  hurt?  "  asked  Mr.  Brown, 
with  no  eyes  for  anything  but  the  small  arm 
with  its  bloody  streak. 

Phronsie  looked  down  and  surveyed  it 
gravely.  "  My  Mamsie  will  make  it  well,"  she 
said  confidently. 

"John  —  John!"  screamed  his  wife,  from 
the  high  wagon,  "  are  you  goin'  to  stay  all  day 
with  that  child  in  th'  middle  of  the  road,  or  do 
you  want  me  to  come  an'  look  after  her?  " 

"  You  stay  where  you  be,  Nancy,"  said  Mr. 
Brown.  "  I  don't  know  no  more'n  th'  last 
one,"  this  to  Phronsie,  "  where  'tis  you  want  to 
go  to.  But  I'll  take  you  there,  all  th'  same. 
Now,  says  I,  hold  tight,  little  un." 

"  I  will,"  said  Phronsie  in  a  satisfied  little 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        73 

voice,  putting  her  arms  around  his  neck.  So 
he  bundled  her  up  in  his  great  arms  and 
marched  to  the  high  wagon. 

"  Give  her  to  me,"  cried  his  wife,  hungrily 
extending  her  hands. 

"  I  wouldn't  ef  I  didn't  have  to  drive,"  said 
Mr.  Brown,  as  he  clumsily  set  Phronsie  on  the 
broad  lap.  "  She's  hurt  her  arm.  Be  care- 
ful, Mother,"  as  he  got  into  the  wagon  and 
began  to  drive  off. 

"  My  soul  an'  body ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Brown,  pausing  in  the  hugging  process  now  set 
up,  to  regard  the  little  bloody  arm.  "  Oh, 
how'd  you  get  that?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  my  mamsie,"  announced 
Phronsie  joyfully,  and  ignoring  the  injured 
arm.  Then  she  laughed,  showing  all  her  little 
teeth,  and  snuggled  against  Mrs.  Brown's  big 
shawl. 

"  Ain't  she  too  cunnin'  for  anythin' ! "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Brown.  "  Did  you  ever  see  th' 
like?  But  how'd  you  git  hurt?"  she  de- 
manded, turning  to  Phronsie  again. 

"  It  was  the  wood,"  said  Phronsie,  gravely 
regarding  her  arm  again.  "  And  I'm  going  to 
Mamsie." 


74  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  She  keeps  a-sayin'  that/'  said  Mr.  Brown. 
"  Now,  how  in  thunder  will  we  know  where 
to  take  her?" 

"  Don't  swear,"  said  his  wife. 

"'Thunder5  ain't  swearin',"  retorted  Mr. 
Brown  with  a  virtuous  air.  "  I  c'd  say  lots 
worse  things." 

"  Well,  git  out  and  say  'em  in  th'  road,  then," 
advised  his  wife,  "  an'  not  before  this  child. 
Where'd  you  say  you  was  a-goin'  ? "  She 
bent  her  large  face  over  the  small  one  snuggled 
against  her  ample  bosom. 

"  To  my  Mamsie,"  said  Phronsie,  so  glad 
that  at  last  she  was  understood. 

The  wrinkles  in  Farmer  Brown's  face  ran 
clear  down  to  his  stubby  beard,  as  he  slapped 
one  hard  hand  on  his  knee. 

"  Oh,  yes  —  yes,"  said  his  wife,  nodding  her 
big  sunbonnet. 

"  Don't  pretend  you  understand  her, 
Mother,"  Mr.  Brown  turned  to  his  wife,  "  for 
you  don't  —  neither  of  us  do,  no  more'n  th' 
dead." 

"  You  let  me  be,  John,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
"  an'  I'll  attend  to  this  child." 

Farmer  Brown  whistled  and  looked  off  up  to 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        75 

the  clouds;  perhaps  something  might  come 
down  to  illuminate  the  situation. 

"  Now,  where  is  Mum  —  Mam  —  whatever 
you  said  ?  "  began  Mrs.  Brown,  patting  Phron- 
sie's  yellow  hair  with  a  large  red  hand. 

"  Off  there."  Phronsie  pointed  a  small  fin- 
ger off  into  space. 

"  I  see,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  nodding  her  sun- 
bonnet  again.  The  puckers  were  beginning  to 
come  in  her  face.  Mr.  Brown,  taking  his  gaze 
off  from  the  clouds,  looked  at  her  and  grinned. 

"  Well,  now  let's  see,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  re- 
flectively, and  with  a  cold  shoulder  for  the 
farmer ;  "  Mamsie  — " 

"  Yes."  Phronsie  gave  another  little  laugh 
and  wriggled  her  feet.  It  was  so  lovely  that 
they  understood  her ;  and  she  was  really  on  the 
way  to  her  Mamsie. 

"  Let's  see  —  now  what  road  did  you  say 
you  want  to  go  to  git  to  this  —  Mamsie?" 
began  the  farmer's  wife,  smiling  encouragingly 
at  her. 

"  Why,  don't  you  know?  "  Phronsie  lifted 
her  head  suddenly  to  gaze  into  Mrs.  Brown's 
face.  "  Off  there."  Again  she  pointed  to 
space. 


76  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  You  keep  still."  Mrs.  Brown  thrust  her 
elbow  into  the  farmer's  side,  as  she  saw  his 
mouth  open.  "  You're  more  care  than  th' 
child.  I'll  find  out  —  you  keep  still !  " 

"  Hem!  "  said  Mr.  Brown  loudly. 

"  And  please  have  us  get  to  Mamsie  soon," 
begged  Phronsie,  beginning  to  look  worried. 

"  Yes  —  yes,"  Mrs.  Brown  promised  quickly. 
"  Well,  now  let's  see  —  how  does  Mamsie 
look  ?  "  she  began. 

"  Why,  she's  my  Mamsie,  and  — " 

"  She?  "  screamed  the  farmer's  wife.  "  Oh, 
my  soul  an'  body!  I  thought  'twas  a  house." 

"Thunder!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Brown;  "now 
we're  in  a  fix,  ef  it's  a  woman.  Th'  Lord 
knows  how  we'll  ever  find  her." 

"  Where'd  you  come  from  ?  "  Mrs.  Brown 
now  found  it  impossible  to  keep  the  anxiety 
from  running  all  up  and  down  her  big  face. 
Phronsie  put  up  her  trembling  little  lips  and 
pointed  off,  still  into  space. 

"  John,"  his  wife  burst  out,  "  we  are  in  a  fix, 
an'  that's  th'  solemn  truth." 

The  farmer  took  off  his  old  cap  and  scratched 
his  head.  "  Well,  anyway,  we've  got  th'  little 
gal,  an*  you've  always  wanted  one,  Nancy." 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        77 

"  Ef  we  can  only  keep  her."  Mrs.  Brown 
hugged  Phronsie  hungrily  to  her  breast.  "  Oh, 
my  little  lamb !  "  she  kept  saying. 

"  I  want  my  Mamsie ! "  said  Phronsie, 
nearly  smothered.  "Please  take  me  to  my 
Mamsie !  "  and  she  struggled  to  get  free. 

"Don't  you  want  to  go  to  a  nice  house?" 
began  the  farmer's  wife  in  a  wheedling  way, 
as  she  set  her  upon  her  knees. 

"  There  —  there.'*  Mr.  Brown  whipped  out 
a  big  red  handkerchief  and  wiped  off  the  tears 
from  the  little  face.  "  Ma,  she's  a-cryin',"  he 
announced  in  an  awful  voice. 

"  There  are  chickens,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  des- 
perately, "  and  — " 

"  Are  there  little  chickies  ?  "  asked  Phronsie, 
as  Mr.  Brown  gave  her  face  another  dab  with 
the  big  handkerchief. 

"Yes  —  yes,  awful  little  ones,"  cried  Mrs. 
Brown ;  "  just  as  little  as  anythin',  an'  yellow 
an'  white  an'  fluffy." 

Phronsie  clapped  her  hands  and  smiled  be- 
tween her  tears. 

"  An'  there's  pigs,  little  ones,"  broke  in  the 
farmer,  to  hold  all  advantage  gained,  "  an*  you 
can  scratch  their  backs." 


78  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Phronsie  tore  off  her  thoughts  from  the  little 
chickens,  yellow  and  white  and  fluffy,  to  regard 
the  farmer.  "  Ooh!  I  want  to  see  the  little 
pigs,"  she  cried,  leaning  over  to  look  into  Mr. 
Brown's  face,  "  and  I'm  going  to  scratch  their 
backs  right  off." 

"  So  you  shall  —  so  you  shall,"  he  cried, 
"  when  you  get  to  my  house." 

Phronsie's  lip  fell  suddenly,  and  she  flew 
back  to  Mrs.  Brown's  arms.  "  I  want  to  go  to 
the  little  brown  house,"  she  wailed,  casting  her- 
self up  against  the  kind  breast. 

"  John,  can't  you  let  well  enough  alone  ?  " 
scolded  his  wife.  "  She  was  took  with  the 
chickens.  There,  there,  child,  don't  cry." 

"  She  liked  my  pigs  best,"  said  the  farmer 
sullenly.  "  G'long  there !  "  slapping  the  leather 
reins  down  smartly  on  the  back  of  the  old  white 
horse. 

"  I  want  to  go  to  the  little  brown  house/' 
Phronsie  wailed  steadily  on. 

"  Well,  that's  where  you're  goin',"  said  the 
farmer.  He  turned  suddenly.  "  That's  jest 
where  we're  a-takin'  you  to,  the  Brown  house." 

"  Are  you  ?  "  cried  Phronsie,  her  wails  stop- 
ping suddenly. 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        79 

" Sure''  said  Mr.  Brown  decidedly.  "  Now, 
Ma,  we'll  take  her  home  with  us.  We'll  in- 
quire all  along  th'  road  ef  anybody  knows  who 
she  is,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice  over  Phronsie's 
head.  "  She'll  be  all  right  when  she  sees  them 
pigs  an'  chickens." 

"  An'  ef  we  can't  find  where  she  b'longs, 
why,  we'll  adopt  her,  an'  she'll  be  ours,"  fin- 
ished his  wife,  all  in  a  tremble.  "  Oh,  you 
sweet  lamb,  you !  "  She  kissed  Phronsie's  yel- 
low head. 

Phronsie,  quite  contented  now  that  she  was 
on  the  way  to  the  little  brown  house  where 
Polly  was  and  Mamsie  would  soon  come,  pres- 
ently began  to  hum  in  a  happy  little  voice,  and 
the  old  white  horse  and  big  high  wagon  went 
jogging  on  over  a  short  cross-road  leading  to 
Maybury,  where  the  farmer  and  his  good  wife 
lived. 

Meantime  Polly  and  Davie  were  having  a 
perfectly  dreadful  time  searching  everywhere, 
even  turning  an  old  barrel,  afraid  that  Phron- 
sie had  pulled  it  over  on  herself,  and  scouring 
every  inch  of  the  ground  around  the  little 
brown  house.  Then  Davie  dashed  off  at 
top  speed,  down  over  the  lane  leading  to 


8o  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Grandma  Bascom's,  sure  of  finding  Phronsie 
there. 

But  Grandma,  feeding  her  hens  from  a  tin 
pan  of  potato  and  apple  parings,  shook  her  cap 
hard  when  Davie  stood  on  his  tiptoes  and 
screamed  into  her  ear  all  about  Phronsie. 

"  Oh,  the  pretty  creeter !  "  she  mourned,  and 
the  pan  in  her  hands  shook  so  that  it  fell  to 
the  ground,  and  the  hens  clattered  around  and 
scratched  and  fought  till  every  bit  of  the  po- 
tato and  apple  skins  was  gobbled  up. 

Davie  rushed  off  from  the  tangle  of  hens 
about  Grandma's  feet,  with  only  one  thought 
—  to  get  to  Deacon  Blodgett's  as  fast  as  he 
could.  And  flying  down  the  lane,  he  ran  into 
the  main  road,  just  after  the  old  white  horse 
and  big  high  wagon  had  turned  the  corner  lead- 
ing to  Maybury,  carrying  Phronsie  off  to  the 
Brown  house. 

"  Whoa  —  there  —  Great  Saint  Peter !  " 
shouted  somebody  at  him.  Davie  was  so  blind 
with  the  drops  of  perspiration  running  down 
his  face  that  he  couldn't  see,  and  besides,  by 
that  time  his  small  legs  were  so  used  to  run- 
ning that  they  kept  on,  even  after  the  young 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        81 

man  in  the  top  buggy  had  pulled  up  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"  Ain't  you  ever  goin'  to  stop  ?  "  roared  the 
young  man,  leaning  out  of  the  buggy  and  star- 
ing at  him. 

"  I  can't/'  panted  Davie,  pausing  a  moment. 

"What's  th'  matter?  Coin'  for  th'  doc- 
tor?" 

"  I'm  goin'  for  Mamsie,"  said  Davie,  rush- 
ing on. 

"  Hold  on !  Who  you're  goin'  for  ?  "  roared 
the  young  man. 

"  Mamsie,"  panted  Davie,  whirling  around. 

"  I  d'no  what  in  th'  blazes  that  is,"  the  young 
man  took  off  his  cap  and  scratched  his  head. 
"  Well,  what  are  you  goin'  for,  lickety-split  like 
that !  Come  here,  you  boy !  " 

Davie  came  slowly  up  to  the  side  of  the 
buggy.  Somehow  a  note  of  hope  began  to  sing 
in  his  small  heart  that  maybe  the  young  man 
might  help. 

"  I  let  my  sister  get  wood  spilled  all  over 
her,"  he  said,  his  face  working  dreadfully, 
"  and  she's  lost,  an'  I'm  going  to  Mamsie." 

"  I  can't  make  head  nor  tail  of  it  at  all,"  said 


82  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

the  young  man.  Then  he  put  on  his  cap,  since 
scratching  his  head  did  no  good.  "  Well,  your 
sister's  lost,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  hanging  to  the  wheel. 
"  Oh,  have  you  seen  her,  Mr.  Man  ?  She  had 
on  a  pink  dress  — " 

"Hey?  Oh,  thunder  an'  lightnin'!"  he 
slapped  his  knee,  with  a  red  hand,  "  was  she  a 
little  gal?" 

"  Yes  —  yes,"  cried  Davie,  with  wide  blue 
eyes.  "  Oh,  have  you  seen  her,  Mr.  Man?  " 

"  I  think  likely,"  said  the  young  man,  bend- 
ing over  till  his  face  nearly  touched  Davie's  hot 
cheek,  "  an'  then  again,  mebbe  I  hain't.  I've 
seen  a  little  gal  in  a  pink  dress,  but  she  may  not 
be  your  sister.  How  big  was  she  ?  " 

Davie  released  his  clutch  on  the  wheel,  to 
bend  down  and  measure  where  Phronsie's  head 
would  come  if  she  stood  there  in  the  road  before 
him,  the  young  man  leaning  out  to  critically 
watch  the  proceeding. 

"  I  b'lieve  as  sure  as  shootin',  that's  th'  little 
gal."  Then  he  whistled  and  slapped  his  knee 
again. 

"Oh,   Mr.   Man,   help  me  to  find  her!" 


ON  THE  MAYBURY  ROAD        83 

Davie  grasped  the  wheel  once  more  and  held  on 
for  dear  life. 

"  Well,  I  can't  as  long  as  you  hang  on  to  that 
'ere  wheel/'  said  the  young  man.  "  Now  you 
hop  in,  and  I'll  catch  up  with  that  young  one  in 
three  shakes  of  a  lamb's  tail." 

Over  the  wheel  went  Davie,  to  sink  down  in 
a  small  heap  on  the  old  leather  seat. 

"  Yes,  sir — ee !  "  declared  the  young  man 
again.  "  I  seen  her  in  Mis  Brown's  lap  as  sure 
as  shootin'.  It's  lucky  she's  fell  in  such  good 
hands.  Well,  I'll  catch  up  with  that  old  white 
plug  of  a  horse.  G'lang !  "  He  whipped  up, 
passing  the  turn  in  the  road  where  Phronsie 
was  being  carried  off  in  the  high  wagon  on  the 
"  short  cut "  to  the  Brown  house  in  Maybury. 


CHAPTER  VI 
BACK  TO  MAMSIE 

'  beef's  biled  'mos'  to  nothin',"  said 
Mrs.  Brown,  sticking  a  long  iron  fork 
into  the  pot  of  corned  beef,  surrounded  by 
bubbling  heaps  of  cabbage.  She  had  thrown 
off  her  sunbonnet  on  the  old  sofa  in  the  sitting- 
room,  and  hurried  into  the  bedroom  where  she 
had  deposited  Phronsie,  fast  asleep,  on  the  gay 
patched  bedquilt. 

"  There,  you  sweet  lamb,  you !  "  Then  she 
hurried  out  to  see  about  the  belated  dinner. 

"John,"  she  called,  as  she  ran  out  to  the 
barn,  "  come,  dinner's  ready." 

Farmer  Brown  turned  as  he  was  leading  the 
old  white  horse  to  his  stall.  "  Is  she  awake?  " 
pointing  with  his  thumb  to  the  house. 

"  No,"  Mrs.  Brown  sped  back  to  the  kitchen. 

"What'll  we  do  with  that  little  gal?"  the 
farmer's  face  puckered  all  up  with  dismay  as  he 
84 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  85 

reflected :  "  Nobody  on  th'  road  knows  th'  fust 
thing  about  her,  an'  I  s'pose  her  Ma's  cryin' 
her  eyes  out."  He  slouched  up  to  the  kitchen 
door. 

"  I  thought  you  was  never  comin' " ;  his  wife 
set  the  big  blue  platter  with  the  corned  beef  and 
its  generous  fringe  of  cabbage  on  the  table; 
then  down  went  the  dish  of  potatoes  and  the 
loaf  of  bread.  "  Th'  beef's  all  biled  to  pieces," 
she  said,  getting  into  her  chair. 

"  What  beats  me,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  sitting 
down  heavily,  and  taking  up  the  horn-handled 
carving  knife  and  fork,  "  is,  what  are  we  to  do 
with  her."  He  pointed  with  carving  knife  to 
the  bedroom. 

"I  d'no,"  said  his  wife;  "do  help  our  that 
beef.  It's  all  biled  to  death,"  passing  her  plate. 

"  It  will  eat  just  as  good,"  said  the  farmer, 
cutting  off  a  scraggy  strip,  and  dishing  up  a 
generous  spoonful  of  cabbage  to  go  with  it  to 
the  waiting  plate.  "  Well,  Nancy,  I'm  beat  to 
know  what  we're  goin'  to  do  with  her." 

"  Do  stop  talkin'  about  her,"  cried  his  wife. 
"  She's  asleep  now.  And  I'm  as  nervous  as  a 
witch." 

"  I  s'pose  we  might  as  well  eat,"  said  the 


86  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

farmer,  helping  himself  liberally.  "  Mebbe  we 
can  decide  what  to  do  better  after  we  have  eat." 

"  I  can't  think  why  I  didn't  set  that  pot  clear 
back  on  the  stove,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  in  vexa- 
tion. "  I  might  'a'  known  'twould  bile  too  fast 
when  we  went  to  Badgertown.  I  didn't  s'pose 
we'd  be  gone  so  long." 

"  Well,  ef  we'd  got  home  sooner  we  wouldn't 
V  come  up  with  the  little  gal,"  observed  the 
farmer  philosophically,  while  his  portion  of 
beef  and  cabbage  was  going  rapidly  to  its 
last  resting-place. 

"  What  good  will  it  do  that  we  found  her  ?  " 
said  his  wife  discontentedly.  "  We've  got  to 
give  her  up." 

"  Well,  I  s'pose  so,"  said  Mr.  Brown  slowly. 
"  Hem !  Ain't  I  ever  goin'  to  have  no  tea  ?  " 
he  asked  in  an  injured  voice,  looking  hard 
across  at  his  wife. 

"  Oh,  mercy !  "  Mrs.  Brown  hopped  out  of 
her  chair.  "  I  don't  wonder  that  I  forgot  th' 
teapot.  Th'  Angel  Gabriel  couldn't  never  re- 
member anythin'  on  seen  a  mornin'  as  we've 
had ! "  She  whipped  her  husband's  big  blue 
cup  off  from  the  dresser,  bringing  it  back  full 
and  steaming  hot. 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  87 

"  I  guess  th'  Angel  Gabriel  hain't  ever  had 
much  to  do  with  tea,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  putting 
in  a  good  spoonful  of  brown  sugar,  and  all  the 
cream  that  would  get  safely  into  the  cup;  "  he's 
got  enough  to  do  a-blowin'  that  horn  o'  his'n. 
Well,  don't  worry,  Ma.  Do  set  down  an'  take 
it  easy.  Th'  little  gal  hain't  got  to  go  yet." 

"  But  we've  got  to  start  after  dinner  about 
it."  Mrs.  Brown  played  nervously  with  her 
knife  and  fork.  Then  she  threw  them  down 
on  her  plate,  jumped  up  and  turned  her  back  on 
the  farmer,  dinner  and  all. 

"  My  soul  an'  body !  "  cried  Mr.  Brown,  his 
knife  half-way  to  his  mouth.  He  stopped  to 
stare  aghast  at  her.  "  You  hain't  never  acted 
like  this,  Nancy." 

"  Well,  I  hain't  never  had  nothin'  like  this  to 
set  me  goin',"  said  Nancy,  her  voice  trembling. 
"  To  think  that  child  should  *  a  '  sprung  up  to- 
day, an'  I've  always  wanted  a  little  gal  — " 

Farmer  Brown  shook  all  over.  Down  fell 
the  knife  to  the  kitchen  floor.  He  glared  all 
around  the  big  kitchen  as  if  somehow  that  were 
to  blame.  Then  he  cleared  his  throat  two  or 
three  times.  "  P'raps  they'll  let  us  keep  her, 
Nancy,"  he  managed  to  get  out  at  last. 


88  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

But  Nancy,  sobbing  in  her  apron,  was  be- 
yond the  sound  of  comfort. 

"  You  know  as  well  as  you  set  in  that  chair 
that  they  won't,"  she  sobbed.  "  O  dear,  why 
did  we  find  her  —  and  I  want  a  little  gal  so !  " 

"Hush!  —  somebody's  comin',"  warned  the 
farmer.  Round  the  corner  of  the  house  came 
two  figures,  and  pretty  soon  "  Rap  —  Rap! "  on 
the  old  door. 

"  Set  down,  Nancy ! "  cried  her  husband ; 
"  for  goodness  sake,  all  Maybury  will  think  you 
an'  me's  ben  quarreling !  " 

"  They  couldn't  think  that,  John,"  cried  Mrs. 
Brown  in  dismay,  and  hurried  back  to  the  din- 
ner table. 

"  When  they  see  you  a-cryin',  you  can't  tell 
what  they'd  think,"  said  the  farmer  grimly,  and 
taking  his  time  about  opening  the  door. 

"  I  ain't  cryin',"  said  his  wife,  wiping  all 
traces  of  the  tears  from  her  large  face,  and 
sitting  very  straight  in  her  chair,  as  she  got  her 
company  face  on. 

"Oh!"  Mr.  Brown  flung  wide  the  big 
door.  "How  do,  Hubbard."  Then  his  eye 
fell  on  a  very  small  boy  with  big  blue  eyes,  who 
was  crowding  up  anxiously,  and,  not  waiting  to 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  89 

be  invited,  was  already  in  the  kitchen  and  star- 
ing around. 

"  You  must  'xcuse  him,"  said  Young  Hub- 
bard,  "  he's  lost  his  sister." 

The  farmer's  wife  jumped  out  of  her  chair, 
and  seized  the  boy's  arm.  "We've  got  her," 
she  said;  "don't  look  so;  she's  all  safe  here." 

"  I  must  take  her  to  Mamsie,"  said  Davie, 
lifting  his  white  face. 

"Yes  —  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  while  the 
old  farmer  and  the  young  one  stood  by  silently. 
"  You  come  in  here,  an'  see  for  yourself  how 
safe  she  is." 

Davie  rushed  into  the  bedroom  and  gave  one 
bound  over  to  the  big  bed.  Phronsie  was  just 
getting  up  to  the  middle  of  it,  and  wiping  her 
eyes.  When  she  saw  Davie  she  gave  a  little 
crow  of  delight.  "  I'm  going  to  Mamsie,"  she 
announced,  as  she  threw  her  arms  around  him. 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  staggering  off  with  her 
to  the  kitchen. 

"  You're  goin'  to  have  your  dinner  first," 
said  the  farmer's  wife  in  alarm.  "  Gracious 
me  —  th'  very  idea  of  goin'  without  a  bite,"  she 
added,  bustling  about  for  more  dishes  and 
knives  and  forks. 


9o  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  We  can't,"  said  Davie,  struggling  along  to 
the  door.  "  I  must  get  her  to  Mamsie." 

"  Young  man,"  roared  Farmer  Brown  at 
him.  "  You  set  down  to  that  table.  Now, 
Ma,  dish  up  some  hot  meat  an'  taters." 

"  And  a  glass  of  milk,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
hurrying  into  the  pantry. 

"  I  want  some  milk,"  cried  Phronsie, 
hungrily  stretching  out  her  arms.  So  before 
David  hardly  knew  how,  there  she  was  sitting 
on  the  big  family  Bible  that  Mr.  Brown  placed 
on  one  of  the  chairs,  before  the  dinner  table. 
When  she  saw  it  was  really  and  truly  milk 
with  a  frothy  top,  she  was  quite  overcome  and 
sat  looking  at  it. 

"  Drink  it,  little  gal,"  said  Farmer  Brown, 
with  a  hand  on  her  yellow  hair. 

Phronsie  laughed  a  pleased  little  gurgle,  and 
set  her  small  teeth  on  the  edge  of  the  mug, 
drinking  as  fast  as  she  could. 

"  Hulloa  —  hold  up  a  bit,"  said  the  farmer, 
with  a  big  hand  on  her  arm.  Phronsie's  blue 
eyes  over  the  cup-edge  turned  on  him  inquir- 
ingly. "  Go  slower,  little  gal."  Mr.  Brown 
took  the  mug  and  set  it  on  the  table.  "  Th' 
milk  will  wait  for  you." 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  91 

"  It  is  nice/'  said  Phronsie,  beaming  delight- 
edly at  him. 

"  So  'tis,"  said  the  farmer,  wiping  off  the 
milk  streaks  from  her  face.  "  An'  you  shall 
have  th'  rest  by  an'  by." 

"  Shall  I  ?  "  asked  Phronsie,  looking  at  the 
mug  affectionately. 

" Sure'' declared  Mr.  Brown. 

Meantime  the  farmer's  wife  was  having  a 
perfectly  dreadful  time  with  David,  who  stood 
impatiently  off  by  the  door,  his  hand  on  the 
latch. 

"  For  mercy's  sakes !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  do 
you  set  down  an'  eat  dinner,  Jed,"  to  the  young 
farmer,  "  an'  p'raps  th'  boy  will  listen  to  rea- 
son an'  eat  some  too." 

"  Now  see  here,  young  man,"  Farmer  Brown 
stalked  over  to  David,  as  Jed  Hubbard,  noth- 
ing loath,  slipped  into  his  chair  to  tackle  the 
corned  beef  and  cabbage,  "  how  d'ye  s'pose 
you're  goin'  to  git  that  little  gal  to  your  Ma  — 
hey?" 

"  I'm  going  to  carry  her,"  said  David,  "  and 
we  must  go."  He  clasped  his  hands  and  turned 
a  pleading  face  up  to  the  farmer. 

"You   carry   her?"    repeated   the    farmer. 


92  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Hoh  —  Hoh!  "  he  threw  back  his  head  and 
laughed. 

"Don't  laugh  at  him,  Pa,"  begged  Mrs. 
Brown,  piling  on  more  food  to  Farmer  Hub- 
bard's  plate;  "  he's  awful  distressed,"  as  Davie 
begged,  "  Do  let  us  go  —  Mamsie  will  — " 

"  You're  a-goin',"  Mr.  Brown  interrupted ; 
"  I  shall  take  you  an'  th'  leetle  gal  in  th'  wagon, 
as  soon  as  you've  et  somethin'." 

"  Will  you  really  take  us  to  Mamsie?  "  cried 
Davie,  the  color  coming  quickly  into  his  white 
cheeks. 

"Sure,"  promised  the  farmer  heartily,  as 
David  flew  into  the  chair  that  Mrs.  Brown  had 
dragged  up  to  the  table. 

"  Now  get  him  a  good  plateful,  Ma,"  said  the 
farmer,  getting  into  his  own  chair.  "  Land  — 
I  hain't  worked  so  hard  for  many  a  day  — 
Whew!" 

But  although  David  had  a  "  good  plateful " 
before  him,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  eat  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  good  people,  as  he  turned 
anxious  eyes  upon  Farmer  Brown  and  then  to 
the  door. 

"  I  don't  b'lieve  he'll  swaller  enough  to  keep 
a  crow  alive,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  in  dismay. 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  93 

"  Pa,  wouldn't  it  be  best  to  do  up  some  vittles 
in  a  paper,  an'  he  can  eat  on  the  way." 

"  I've  come  to  the  conclusion  it  would,"  said 
her  husband  grimly. 

"  An'  I'll  put  in  some  cookies  for  th'  little 
gal,"  said  his  wife,  darting  into  the  pantry  to 
the  big  stone  jar. 

"  An'  I'll  harness  up,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  go- 
ing to  the  big  door. 

The  young  farmer  looked  up  from  his  din- 
ner. "  You  better  take  my  horse,  Mr.  Brown," 
he  said. 

"  Kin  you  spare  her  ?  " 

"  Yes  —  an'  take  th5  buggy  too.  You  can 
have  it  all  as  easy  as  anything.  You  an*  me 
are  such  close  neighbors,  I  can  come  over  an' 
git  it  to-night." 

"  Now  that's  real  kind,"  said  Farmer  Brown, 
going  out. 

"  Th'  buggy  ?  "  repeated  Mrs.  Brown,  com- 
ing out  of  the  pantry  with  the  bundle  of  cookies. 
"Well,  I'm  goin',  too,  Jed.  I  don't  b'lieve 
there's  room  for  us  all  to  set  comfortable." 

Jedediah  looked  her  all  over.  "  'Twill  be  a 
close  fit,  maybe,  but  the  wagon's  so  heavy. 
Must  you  go,  Mis  Brown  ?  " 


94  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Jedediah  Hubbard,"  Mrs.  Brown  set  down 
the  cookies  on  the  table,  and  looked  at  him 
hard.  "  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  give  up  that  little  gal 
a  minute  sooner'n  I've  got  to,"  she  said  decid- 
edly. "  An'  I'm  goin'  to  see  her  Ma." 

"  All  right,  Mrs.  Brown,"  and  Jedediah  re- 
turned to  his  dinner. 

But  when  the  starting  off  arrived,  there  was 
a  pretty  bad  time  —  Farmer  Brown  protesting 
there  wasn't "  enough  room  to  squeeze  a  cat  in." 
Mrs.  Brown  ended  the  matter  by  saying  "There 
ain't  goin'  to  be  no  cat,"  and  getting  in  she 
established  herself,  Phronsie  on  her  lap,  on  one 
half  of  the  leather  seat  of  the  top  buggy. 

"Where's  the  boy  goin'  to  set?"  demanded 
her  husband,  looking  at  her. 

"  I  d'no  about  that,"  said  his  wife,  wrapping 
her  shawl  carefully  around  Phronsie.  "  Yes, 
you  can  carry  the  cookies,  child.  Men  folks 
must  look  out  for  themselves,"  she  said  coolly. 

"  It's  all  very  well  for  you  to  set  there  an' 
tell  me  that,"  said  Farmer  Brown  in  a  dis- 
gruntled way,  as  he  got  in  over  the  wheel,  "  but 
then,  you're  a  woman." 

"  Yes,  I'm  a  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Brown  com- 
posedly. "  Oh,  th'  boy  can  set  on  a  stool  in 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  95 

front.  Jed,  just  bring  out  that  little  cricket 
from  th'  settin'-room,  will  you  ?  " 

David,  with  the  paper  bag  containing  slices 
of  corned  beef  between  pieces  of  bread,  not 
caring  where  he  sat  so  long  as  he  was  on  the 
way  with  Phronsie  to  Mamsie,  settled  down  on 
the  cricket  that  young  Mr.  Hubbard  brought. 
Then  he  looked  up  into  the  young  farmer's  face. 
"  Good-by,"  he  said,  "  and  thank  you  for  bring- 
ing me  here." 

"  Oh,  good-by,  youngster,"  said  Jedediah, 
wringing  a  hand  that  tingled  most  of  the  way 
home.  "  Well,  I  hope  to  run  across  you  again 
some  time.  If  you  ever  lose  your  sister,  you 
just  call  on  me." 

"  We  aren't  ever  going  to  lose  Phronsie," 
declared  David,  bobbing  his  head  solemnly,  as 
the  top  buggy  and  the  young  farmer's  horse 
moved  off. 

Mrs.  Brown  didn't  utter  a  word  all  the  way 
to  Badgertown  except  "  How  d'ye  s'pose  Jede- 
diah ever  found  that  we  had  the  little  gal  ?  " 

"  Let  Jed  Hubbard  alone  for  findin'  out  any- 
thin',"  said  Farmer  Brown.  He  was  so  occu- 
pied in  gazing  at  Phronsie,  carefully  eating 
around  the  edge  of  each  cooky  before  enjoy- 


96  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ing  the  whole  of  it,  that  the  smart  young  horse 
went  pretty  much  as  he  pleased.  Finally  Mr. 
Brown  looked  down  at  Davie  on  his  cricket. 

"  Ain't  you  ever  goin'  to  eat  your  dinner, 
young  man?"  he  said.  "  Ef  you  don't  we'll 
turn  an'  go  back  again,"  he  added  severely. 

"  Oh,  I  will  —  I  will/'  cried  Davie,  who  had 
forgotten  all  about  his  dinner  in  his  efforts  to 
measure  the  distance  being  overcome  on  the 
way  home  to  Mamsie,  And  he  unrolled  the 
paper  bundle. 

When  it  was  all  exposed  to  view,  the  corned 
beef  smelt  so  good  that  he  set  his  teeth  in  it,  and 
gave  a  sigh  of  delight. 

Farmer  Brown  winked  across  to  his  wife 
over  Davie' s  head  and  presently  the  bread,  and 
even  a  cold  potato  well  sprinkled  with  salt,  dis- 
appeared, and  only  the  empty  paper  lay  in 
Davie's  lap. 

"  Throw  it  out  in  th'  road,"  said  Farmer 
Brown,  well  satisfied  that  the  dinner  was  at  last 
where  it  should  be. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  said  David,  holding  the  paper 
fast. 

"  Tain't  no  good  —  throw  it  out,  boy." 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  97 

"  Mamsie  wouldn't  like  me  to  throw  papers 
in  the  road.  It  scares  horses." 

"  Sho  —  now !  "  Farmer  Brown  pushed  up 
his  cap  and  scratched  his  head.  "  I  guess  your 
Ma's  all  right,"  at  last  he  said. 

When  the  little  brown  house  popped  into 
view,  David  flew  around  on  his  cricket  excit- 
edly. "  There  'tis  —  it's  there !  " 

"  I  see  it,"  said  Farmer  Brown.  "  Set  still 
—  we'll  be  there  in  a  minute." 

"  It's  my  little  brown  house,"  cried  Phronsie, 
trying  to  slip  out  from  Mrs.  Brown's  lap. 

"  Oh,  you  lamb  —  do  wait.  Little  gal,  we'll 
take  you  there  in  a  minute.  Set  still,  child." 

"  And  I  see  Mamsie  —  oh,  I  want  my  Mam- 
sie ! "  cried  Phronsie,  struggling  worse  than 
ever,  her  little  legs  flying  in  her  efforts  to  be 
free. 

David  stood  straight,  his  head  knocking  the 
buggy  top.  "  Polly,  we're  coming ! "  he 
shouted. 

"Hold  on  —  don't  you  jump!"  roared  the 
farmer,  catching  his  jacket,  as  Polly  dashed  up 
to  the  buggy  and  ran  along  by  its  side,  the 
brown  waves  of  hair  flying  over  her  face. 


98  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Mamsie !  "  called  Phronsie,  leaning  as  far 
as  she  could  from  Mrs.  Brown's  lap,  "  see  my 
arm/'  as  Mrs.  Pepper  drew  near,  and  she  held 
it  up  with  its  bandage  soaked  in  opodeldoc  that 
the  farmer's  wife  had  tied  on. 

"  Whoa! "  Farmer  Brown  brought  the 
Hubbard  horse  up  with  a  smart  jerk.  "  You 
might  as  well  git  out  here/'  he  said,  "  for  I'll 
never  keep  you  two  in  this  buggy  till  we  git  to 
th'  house/' 

"  I  never  can  thank  you,"  Mother  Pepper 
was  saying,  as  the  farmer's  wife  got  heavily 
out  of  the  buggy,  "  for  all  your  goodness." 

Mrs.  Brown's  mouth  worked  and  she  tried 
to  speak.  "  I  wish  — "  she  looked  off  to  the 
little  brown  house,  but  she  couldn't  finish  what 
she  had  been  composing  all  the  way  along  — 
"  you'd  let  me  have  this  little  gal  for  a  while, 
anyway;  you've  got  so  many  children;  and  I 
haven't  got  one."  So  she  only  kept  on  wob- 
bling her  lips  and  twisting  her  hands. 

"  Hem!  "  Farmer  Brown  cleared  his  throat. 
"  I'll  come  over  an'  git  them  two,"  pointing  a 
rugged  forefinger  in  the  direction  of  Davie  and 
Phronsie,  "  ef  you'll  let  'em  come  over  an'  pass 
th'  day  with  us  some  time." 


BACK  TO  MAMSIE  99 

"  He's  got  chickies,"  said  Phronsie,  raising 
her  head  from  Mrs.  Pepper's  arms. 

"  And  pigs,"  said  Farmer  Brown,  "  little  uns 
—  don't  you  forgit  them." 

"  And  dear  sweet  little  pigs  —  oh,  Mamsie, 
and  I  am  going  to  scratch  their  backs." 

"  An',"  Farmer  Brown  whirled  around  on 
David,  "  this  young  man's  comin',  sure!  He's 
a  right  smart  boy,  an'  I've  took  a  fancy  to  him." 

"  They  shall  go,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  with  a 
bright  smile.  "  And  Phronsie  will  never  for- 
get you,  dear  Mrs.  — " 

"  Brown,"  said  the  farmer  promptly,  seeing 
his  wife  couldn't  speak. 

"  No,  she  will  never  forget  you,  dear  Mrs. 
Brown."  Mother  Pepper  got  hold  of  the  big 
hand,  twisting  its  mate. 

The  farmer's  wife  clutched  it.  "  You  see 
I  always  wanted  a  little  gal,"  she  whispered 
close  to  Mrs.  Pepper's  ear. 

Then  Mother  Pepper  did  a  thing  the  children 
had  never  seen  before.  She  leaned  forward 
and  kissed  the  large  face. 

"  We  must  be  goin',"  declared  Farmer 
Brown,  whipping  out  his  big  red  handkerchief 
to  blow  his  nose  loudly.  "Hem!  Come,  Ma." 


ioo  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  Did  Mamsie  cry  when  we  didn't  come 
home?"  asked  David  anxiously,  as  they  all 
filed  off  toward  the  little  brown  house. 

"  No.  Oh,  I'm  so  sorry  you  worried, 
Davie,"  cried  Polly.  "  You  see  I  ran  down  to 
Deacon  Blodgett's  to  tell  Mamsie,  and  Mr.  At- 
kins saw  me  go  by,  and  he  called  out  that  a 
Mr.  Hubbard  had  you  in  that  very  buggy  you 
came  home  in." 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  said  David. 

"  And  he  said  he  knew  you  were  going  after 
Phronsie." 

"  Yes,  we  did,"  said  David. 

"  And  then  he  told  us  that  a  man  in  the  store 
said  that  some  folks  over  at  Maybury  —  real 
good  folks,  had  Phronsie  in  their  wagon, 
and—" 

"  Yes,"  said  David,  "  they  did." 

"  So  we  knew  everything  was  all  right," 
Polly  ran  on  gayly,  "  and  Mamsie  said  all  we 
had  to  do  was  to  wait  patiently,  and  not  stir 
Ben  and  Joel  up  where  they  were  at  work  in 
Deacon  Blodgett's  south  meadow,  so  — " 

"  Polly,"  cried  Davie  excitedly,  as  they  ran 
into  the  little  brown  house,  "  I  like  that  big  Mr. 
Brown  very  much  indeed." 


CHAPTER  VII 
"  GOOD-BY,  CHILDREN  " 

"T  MUSTN'T  cry  again,"  said  David  to  him- 

•••  self  the  next  morning.  He  stopped  a 
minute  picking  up  the  chips,  before  he  threw 
them  into  the  old  basket.  "  Maybe  I'll  get  to 
school  some  time  and  learn  things." 

Then  he  threw  the  chips  into  the  basket  until 
it  was  full  enough  to  empty  into  the  wood-box 
behind  the  old  stove  in  the  kitchen. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Joel,  rushing  in  at  dinner- 
time, "  'twasn't  any  fun  piling  wood  at  Deacon 
Blodgett's  without  Dave." 

"  Davie  can't  pile  wood  to-day,  Joel,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper,  "  he  had  such  a  hard  time  yester- 
day going  after  Phronsie."  She  glanced  over 
at  him  affectionately,  as  she  went  into  the  pan- 
try for  the  cold  potatoes  to  fry. 

David  began  eagerly,  "  Oh,  Mamsie  — "  then 
he  stopped  when  he  saw  her  face. 


101 


102  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  O  dear,"  grumbled  Joel.  "  It's  awful  hard 
work  piling  wood  without  Dave.  Isn't  dinner 
ready  ?  "  he  asked,  impatiently. 

"  It  will  be  in  a  few  minutes,"  said  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, slicing  the  potatoes  over  by  the  table. 
"  See,  Joey,  I'm  going  to  give  you  fried  pota- 
toes to-day." 

"  Oh,  goody !  "  exclaimed  Joel,  rushing  over 
to  the  table  and  smacking  his  lips.  "  See, 
Dave,  fried  potatoes !  " 

David  tried  to  smile  as  he  turned  off. 

"  And  I  shall  fry  them  brown,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper,  cutting  the  last  potato  into  thin  strips. 

"  She's  going  to  fry  'em  brown,"  announced 
Joel  in  great  excitement,  and  running  over  to 
pull  David's  jacket,  "  real  crispy  brown,  so 
they'll  crack  in  your  teeth.  Won't  you,  Mam- 
sie, —  really  crispy,  cracksy  brown,"  deserting 
David  to  rush  over  to  the  table  again. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  smiling  at  him,  as 
she  went  over  to  the  stove  to  set  on  the  frying- 
pan.  "  Where's  Ben  ?  It's  time  that  he  was 
here." 

"  I  forgot,"  said  Joel,  a  flush  spreading  over 
his  round  cheeks ;  "  Deacon  Blodgett  said  Ben 
wouldn't  come  home." 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         103 

Mother  Pepper  paused  with  the  frying  pan 
in  her  hand.  "  Did  Deacon  Blodgett  say 
why?" 

"  They're  going  to  take  something  to  eat  in 
a  basket,"  said  Joel,  beginning  to  look  very  in- 
jured, "  and  they  wouldn't  take  me.  They  told 
me  to  run  home  and  tell  you." 

"  Oh,  Joey,  and  you  forgot  a  message,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper  reprovingly. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to,"  said  Joel,  hanging  his 
head. 

"  Didn't  mean  to,  doesn't  excuse  such  a 
thing,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  Then  she  set  the 
frying  pan  at  the  back  of  the  stove  and  stood 
quite  still. 

"  Mamsie  —  I  didn't,"  cried  Joel,  running 
over  to  hide  his  head  in  her  gown,  "  I  truly 
didn't,"  he  howled. 

"  No,  he  didn't  mean  to,"  echoed  David, 
drawing  near  in  great  distress. 

"  I  know,  Davie,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  stroking 
Joel's  stubby  black  hair  as  he  burrowed  in  her 
gown,  "  but  it  is  a  very  bad  thing  to  forget  a 
message." 

"  I  won't  ever  do  it  again,"  whimpered  Joel, 
his  brown  hands  holding  fast  to  her  gown. 


104  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  I  hope  not,  Joel/'  Then  she  glanced  over 
at  the  thin  slices  in  the  dish  on  the  table.  "  Ben 
does  like  fried  potatoes  so  much!  That's  the 
reason  I  was  going  to  have  them  to-day." 

"  He  can  have  mine,"  said  Joel,  twitching 
his  head  away  from  Mother  Pepper's  gown, 
and  not  looking  at  the  potato-dish,  for  his 
mouth  watered  dreadfully. 

"  And  give  him  mine,"  said  Davie,  hurrying 
over  to  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  No,  children,  there  is  enough  for  all,  and 
I  will  fry  some  for  Ben  at  another  time.  Run 
down  and  see  if  Polly  and  Phronsie  are  com- 
ing from  the  store." 

"  O  dear,  my  legs  are  tired,"  said  Joel  crossly, 
and  tumbling  on  the  kitchen  floor,  he  waved 
them  in  the  air. 

"  I'll  go  —  I'll  go,"  said  Davie,  running  to 
get  his  cap. 

"  No,"  said  Mother  Pepper.  "  You  are  not 
to  go,  Davie." 

"  Dave  wants  to  go,"  said  Joel,  rolling  over 
to  look  at  her  with  his  black  eyes. 

"  Davie  is  very  tired  since  yesterday,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper.  "Get  up,  Joel,  and  go  to  the 
gate  at  once." 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         105 

"Polly's  always  late,"  grumbled  Joel,  get- 
ting up  to  his  feet. 

"  Polly  is  never  late,"  said  David  stoutly. 
"  She's  always  and  ever  here/'  and  his  face 
got  very  red. 

"  There  —  there,  boys,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 
"  Run  along,  Joel." 

"  Mamsie,"  David  ran  over  to  her,  as  the  big 
green  door  banged,  "  I'm  not  tired.  Please  let 
me  help  about  things." 

"  You  must  be  tired,  Davie,"  Mrs.  Pepper 
beamed  affectionately  at  him,  "  and  it  won't  do 
for  you  to  run  your  legs  off  for  I  depend  so 
much  on  you." 

David  looked  down  at  his  legs.  Then  he 
straightened  up.  "  Do  you  really  depend  on 
me,  Mamsie  ?  "  and  the  color  ran  all  over  his 
little  cheeks. 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  said  Mother  Pepper  heartily. 
Then  she  glanced  up  at  the  clock.  "  Polly  and 
Phronsie  ought  to  be  here." 

"  They're  coming,"  shouted  Davie  gleefully, 
and  rushing  to  the  big  green  door,  he  swung  it 
wide.  In  jumped  Joel,  swinging  the  molasses 
jug,  and  after  him  Polly  and  Phronsie. 

"Whoop!"   screamed   Joel,    "isn't    dinner 


io6  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ready?  We're  going  to  have  fried  potatoes," 
he  announced  to  Polly. 

"  Fried  potatoes !  "  exclaimed  Polly  in  aston- 
ishment. Then  she  ran  over  to  the  old  stove. 
"  Oh,  Mamsie,  fried  potatoes! "  wrinkling  up 
her  nose  at  the  sizzling  in  the  old  frying-pan. 

"  I  like  it,"  said  Phronsie,  clutching  a  little 
paper  bag;  "  let  me  smell  it,  Polly,  do !  "  stand- 
ing on  her  tiptoes. 

"  I  thought  Ben  was  coming  home  to  dinner, 
and  he  does  so  like  fried  potatoes,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper  in  a  low  voice,  as  she  turned  the  slices. 

"  Isn't  Ben  coming  to  dinner?  "  asked  Polly. 

"  No  —  hush,  Polly !  "  with  a  glance  over  at 
Joel,  coming  out  from  the  pantry  where  he  had 
put  the  molasses  jug.  "  Ben's  gone  somewhere 
with  Deacon  Blodgett.  Now  hurry  and  get  on 
Phronsie's  eating-apron." 

"  Joel  was  awfully  good  —  he  took  the  mo- 
lasses jug  from  me,"  said  Polly,  tying  on 
Phronsie's  checked  eating  apron. 

"  I'm  glad  he  thought  to  do  it,"  said  Mother 
Pepper,  with  a  smile.  "  Now  sit  down,  chil- 
dren, the  potatoes  are  done." 

"  And  Mr.  Atkins  gave  Phronsie  a  whole  lot 
of  peppermints,"  said  Polly,  when  the  meal  was 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         107 

half  over,  and  the  plates  were  scraped  clean 
from  all  trace  of  potato  slices. 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  said  Phronsie,  bobbing  her 
yellow  head,  and  taking  off  her  gaze  from  the 
dish  where  the  delightfully  brown  crackly 
things  had  been.  When  she  had  been  obliged 
to  relinquish  her  little  paper  bag,  after  the  eat- 
ing apron  was  on,  she  had  insisted  that  it  should 
be  kept  in  her  lap.  So  now  she  patted  it  lov- 
ingly. 

"  Oo!  Peppermints!"  screamed  Joel. 
"  Let' s  see,  Phronsie,"  and  he  hopped  out  of  his 
seat. 

"  No,  no,  Joey,"  reproved  Mother  Pepper. 

"  She  said  peppermints,"  said  Joel,  slipping 
into  his  chair. 

"  I  will  give  you  some,"  said  Phronsie,  with 
another  little  pat  on  the  paper  bag,  "  and  Davie 
too,"  beaming  across  the  table  at  him. 

"  Oh,  now  —  give  'em  now,"  cried  Joel, 
thrusting  out  his  hand,  his  black  eyes  sparkling. 

But  Mother  Pepper  said  "  No,"  again ;  that 
they  must  all  wait  till  after  dinner,  and  the 
dishes  were  washed  up  and  the  floor  swept. 
Then  if  Phronsie  wanted  to  divide  her  pepper- 
mints, why,  that  would  be  the  best  time  of  all. 


io8  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

So  there  was  a  merry  bustle  to  see  who  would 
get  through  the  part  of  the  work  that  belonged 
to  each  one.  And  there  was  so  much  fun  and 
laughter  that  any  one  peering  in  at  the  little 
brown  house  would  really  have  supposed  that 
play  was  going  on.  At  last  it  was  all  done, 
and  Mamsie,  over  in  the  corner  sewing  on  one 
of  the  coats  that  Polly  had  brought  home  in 
the  bundle,  declared  that  everything  was  very 
nice,  and  that  she  couldn't  have  done  it  any  bet- 
ter herself. 

"  Now  the  peppermints/'  cried  Joel,  running 
away  from  the  sink  where  he  had  been  scrub- 
bing his  hands  and  polishing  them  on  the  big 
roller  towel.  "  Now,  O  goody ! "  He  ran 
over  to  Phronsie,  still  clinging  to  her  paper 
bag. 

"  Let's  all  sit  down  on  the  floor,"  proposed 
Polly.  So  down  the  whole  four  of  them  got 
in  a  ring,  each  one  drawing  a  long  breath  of 
anticipation. 

"  I'm  going  to  give  Mamsie  one  first,"  an- 
nounced Phronsie,  slowly  beginning  to  open 
the  paper  bag. 

"  Let's  see  how  many  you've  got,  Phronsie," 
said  Joel,  putting  out  an  impatient  hand. 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         109 

"  Don't,  Joey,"  said  Polly,  seizing  his  hand ; 
"  let  Phronsie  open  her  own  bag." 

"  I'll  open  my  bag,"  hummed  Phronsie,  suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  word.  Then  she  drew  out 
a  peppermint  drop,  a  pink  one. 

"  She's  so  slow,"  said  Joel,  impatiently. 
"  Turn  up  the  bag,  do,  Phronsie." 

"  Let  her  do  it  her  own  way,  Joey,"  said 
Polly ;  "  they  are  her  peppermints  and  we  must 
all  wait." 

"  O  dear !  "  groaned  Joel,  holding  his  hands 
tightly  together,  his  black  eyes  on  the  pepper- 
mint drops. 

It  took  some  time  in  this  slow  way  for 
Phronsie  to  get  them  all  out.  She  hummed  in 
a  soft  little  voice  as  she  drew  them  forth,  one 
by  one,  and  laid  them  in  Polly's  lap.  There 
were  nine  —  five  white  ones,  and  four  pink 
ones. 

"  Aren't  there  any  more  ?  "  cried  Joel.  "  Let 
me  shake  the  bag  —  maybe  there's  another 
one." 

But  all  the  vigorous  shaking  that  Joel  admin- 
istered couldn't  produce  another  peppermint 
drop. 

"  I  shall  give  Mamsie  this  one,"  said  Phron- 


no  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

sie,  picking  up  one  of  the  pink  drops  and  run- 
ning over  to  Mrs.  Pepper's  chair.  "  Please 
open  your  mouth,  Mamsie." 

And  the  pink  peppermint  being  dropped  into 
Mother  Pepper's  mouth,  Phronsie  ran  back  in 
great  satisfaction. 

"  Now  me,'*  cried  Joel,  sitting  back  on  his 
heels,  and  holding  out  his  hands. 

"  Oh,  Joey,  Ben  ought  to  have  one  saved  for 
him/'  said  Polly  reprovingly. 

"  I  shall  give  Bensie  this  one,"  said  Phronsie, 
patting  another  pink  drop. 

"  Ben  wouldn't  care,"  began  Joel.  Then  he 
stopped,  seeing  Polly's  brown  eyes. 

"  That's  fine,"  said  Polly,  smiling  at  Phron- 
sie. "  Now  I'm  going  to  put  this  peppermint 
drop  up  on  the  table,  and  you  shall  give  it  to 
Ben  when  he  comes  in." 

"  I  shall  give  it  to  Bensie  when  he  comes  in," 
hummed  Phronsie.  "  And  this  one  is  for  you." 
She  held  up  the  third  pink  peppermint  to  Polly's 
mouth. 

"Oh,  no,  child,"  said  Polly,  shaking  her  head. 
"  You  must  save  those  other  two  for  yourself, 
you  know." 

"  Then  there  won't  be  any  pink  pepper- 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         1 1 1 

mints/'  broke  in  Joel,  awfully  disappointed, 
"  and  I  wanted  one." 

"  But  Phronsie  must  save  some  for  herself," 
said  Polly;  "  she  just  loves  pink  candy." 

"  I  will  give  you  a  pink  one,  Joey,"  said 
Phronsie,  beginning  to  look  worried  as  she  saw 
his  face. 

"  No,  Joel,  you  oughtn't  to,"  said  Polly. 

"  But  I  don't  want  an  old  white  one," 
grumbled  Joel;  "  mean  old  white  one." 

"  Then  you'd  better  not  take  any,"  said  Polly 
coolly.  "  No,  Phronsie,  you  must  keep  those 
two  pink  ones.  Mr.  Atkins  would  want  you 
to." 

"Would  Mr.  Atkins  want  me  to?"  asked 
Phronsie  doubtfully. 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  said  Polly  decidedly. 
"  Now,  Davie,  it's  your  turn,  as  Joel  doesn't 
want  any." 

"  Oh,  I  do  — - 1  do !  "  screamed  Joel.  "  I  do 
want  a  peppermint,  Polly  Pepper." 

"All  right,  then  give  Joel  a  white  one, 
Phronsie,  and  then  one  to  Davie.  There,  now 
isn't  that  too  splendid  for  anything!"  as  the 
two  boys  began  at  once  to  crunch  their  pepper- 
mints. 


H2  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

David  suddenly  stopped.  "  You  haven't 
any,  Polly." 

"  Oh,  Phronsie  is  going  to  put  a  white  one  in 
my  mouth,"  said  Polly  gayly,  and  opening  her 
mouth  very  wide. 

"  I'm  going  to  put  one  in  your  mouth, 
Polly,"  laughed  Phronsie.  So  Polly  bent  her 
head  down,  and  in  went  a  white  peppermint 
drop. 

"  Now  says  I  —  in  goes  one  in  your  own 
mouth,  Phronsie, —  a  pink  one,"  and  in  it  went. 

There  was  such  a  crunching  of  peppermint 
drops  going  on  that  no  one  heard  the  big  green 
door  open,  until  Mrs.  Pepper  said,  "  Why,  how 
do  you  do  ?  "  Then  they  all  whirled  around. 
There  was  Mr.  Tisbett,  the  stage-driver,  whip 
in  hand. 

Immediately  he  was  surrounded  by  all  the 
four  children,  Joel  howling,  "  Oh,  I  know 
you've  come  to  take  us  in  the  stage-coach,"  and 
trying  to  get  the  whip. 

"  No,  I  hain't,  not  this  time.  You  let  my 
whip  be,  Joel,"  and  in  the  midst  of  the  clamor, 
he  marched  over  to  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  I've  come 
for  you,  ma'am." 

"  For  me  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pepper. 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         1 13 

"Yes'm.  Ef  you  don't  stop,  Joel  Pepper, 
scrougin'  for  my  whip,  I'll — "  Mr.  Tisbett 
didn't  finish,  but  he  looked  so  very  fierce  that 
they  all  fell  back. 

"  Hoh!  "  exclaimed  Joel,  "  I  ain't  afraid  of 
him,"  and  he  swarmed  all  over  the  big  stage- 
driver.  "  I'm  going  on  the  stage.  Let  me  sit 
up  in  front  with  you,  Mr.  Tisbett,"  he  begged. 

"  Yes'm,"  Mr.  Tisbett  tucked  the  big  whip 
under  his  arm,  and  turned  his  twinkling  eyes 
toward  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  Old  Miss  Babbitt  has 
broke  her  hip,  and  — " 

"  O  dear  me !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pepper,  drop- 
ping her  work  to  her  lap. 

"  Fact ;  fell  down  th'  cellar  stairs ;  stepped  on 
th'  cat,  an'  away  she  went." 

"Did  she  kill  the  cat?"  cried  Joel,  tearing 
off  his  attention  from  the  whip. 

"  Land  o'  Goshen !  You  can't  kill  a  cat,"  de- 
clared the  stage  driver ;  "  never  heard  o'  such  a 
thing  in  all  my  born  days.  Well,  she  set  up  a 
screechin'  for  you,  Mis  Pepper."  He  whirled 
around  again  to  Mother  Pepper's  chair. 

A  look  of  dismay  spread  over  Mother  Pep- 
per's face. 

"  She's  in  an  awful  bad  fix,"  said  Mr.  Tisbett 


114  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

solemnly,  "  an'  there  ain't  a  neighbor  that'll  go 
nigh  her.  An'  she  keeps  a-screamin'  for  you," 
and  Mr.  Tisbett  leaned  against  the  table. 

"Polly,  child,  come  here."  Mrs.  Pepper 
was  already  folding  up  her  work. 

"  What  is  it,  Mamsie  ?  "  as  the  group  made 
way  for  her,  the  stage-driver  regarding  them 
all  with  a  relieved  air  as  if  responsibility  of  the 
whole  affair  was  now  off  his  mind. 

"  Do  you  think  that  you  could  get  along  with- 
out Mother  for  a  little  while?  " 

"  For  over  night  ?  "  asked  Polly,  in  an  awe- 
struck tone. 

"Yes, —  can  you  do  it,  Polly?  Poor  old 
Miss  Babbitt  needs  me;  but  I  won't  go  if  you 
can't  manage  without  me."  She  rested  her 
black  eyes  on  Polly's  flushed  cheeks. 

"You've  never  been  away  all  night,"  began 
Polly,  her  cheeks  going  very  white. 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  a  little  white 
line  coming  around  her  mouth.  "  It  hasn't 
been  necessary  before.  But  now,  it  seems  as  if 
the  poor  old  woman  needs  me.  And  you're  a 
big  girl,  Polly,  and  then  there's  Ben  to  help  you. 
Well,  what  do  you  say,  child  ?  " 

"  She's  an  awful  cross  old  woman,"  said 


"  GOOD-B Y  CHILDREN  "         115 

Polly  grudgingly,  not  being  able  to  look  into 
her  mother's  face. 

"  That  doesn't  make  any  difference,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper.  /  "  She  needs  me." 

Polly  drew  her  shoe  back  and  forth  across 
the  floor,  still  not  looking  into  her  mother's 
face. 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  say,  Polly,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper  quietly.  Meantime  the  stage  driver 
had  drawn  off  into  a  corner,  the  three  children 
surrounding  him. 

"  O  dear  me ! "  began  Polly,  with  a  long 
breath  and  twisting  her  hands ;  then  she  burst 
out,  "  Mamsie,  I'm  awfully  wicked  —  but  I 
don't  want  you  to  go." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  then  I  will 
tell  Mr.  Tisbett  that  I  cannot  go,"  and  she 
began  to  get  out  of  her  chair. 

"But  supposing,"  said  Polly,  with  a  little 
gasp,  seizing  her  mother's  arm,  "  nobody  had 
come  to  help  you  when  my  eyes  were  bad  ?  " 

"  Yes,  just  supposing,"  said  Mother  Pepper, 
sitting  quite  still. 

"  And  now  it's  worse,  for  she's  an  old,  old 


woman." 


Yes,  Polly." 


ii6  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  Then,"  said  Polly,  feeling  sure  she  was 
going  to  cry,  "  I  think  you  ought  to  go,  Mam- 
sie.  Odear!" 

"  Are  you  quite  sure,  Polly  child  ?  " 

"  Yes-es  —  yes,  Mamsie !  "  and  Polly  swal- 
lowed her  sob.  When  she  found  that  she  could 
do  that,  she  threw  her  arms  around  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's neck.  "  Oh,  Mamsie,  I  do  want  you  to 
go  —  really  and  truly,  I  do,  Mamsie  —  and  I'll 
take  care  of  the  children.'* 

"  I  know  you  will,  Polly.  Now  that's  my 
brave  girl,"  and  Mother  Pepper  gathered  her 
up  in  her  arms  and  held  her  close. 

"  And  I'll  pack  the  bag,"  said  Polly,  running 
off  on  happy  feet  to  drag  out  the  old  carpet-bag 
from  the  closet  in  the  bedroom. 

And  pretty  soon  the  kitchen  was  in  a  great 
bustle,  the  children  getting  in  each  other's  way 
to  help  Mrs.  Pepper  off.  And  Mr.  Tisbett  kept 
saying,  "  Well,  I  never !  "  and  slapping  the  big 
whip  against  his  knees,  making  Joel  drop  what- 
ever he  was  doing  to  run  over  at  the  enchanting 
sound.  And  Phronsie  had  to  tie  on  Mamsie' s 
bonnet  —  and  every  one  hurried  to  help  her 
into  the  stage. 

"  Good-by,"  said  Mother  Pepper,  as  all  four 


"  GOOD-BY  CHILDREN  "         117 

tried  to  get  on  the  step  for  a  last  kiss.  "  Be 
good,  children,  and  obey  Polly ! " 

"  I'm.  going  to  be  good/'  declared  Joel 
stoutly. 

"  I'll  try,"  said  David. 

"  Let  me  tie  your  bonnet  again,"  said  Phron- 
sie,  with  pleading  hands. 

"  Oh,  Phronsie,  you  can't  tie  it  again,"  said 
Polly.  "  Mr.  Tisbett  has  got  to  go,"  as  the 
stage  driver  up  on  the  box  was  cracking  his 
whip  impatiently.  "  You  can  kiss  Mamsie 
once  more." 

"  I  can  kiss  my  Mamsie  again,"  said  Phron- 
sie, as  Polly  held  her  up. 

"  Good-by,  children,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  to 
them  all,  as  the  big  stage  lumbered  off.  But 
her  last  smile  was  for  Polly. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  " 


/T*HE  four  Little  Peppers  went  in  and  shut 
•*•  the  big  green  door. 

"  I  want  my  Mamsie."  Phronsie  stood  still 
in  the  middle  of  the  kitchen  floor. 

"  So  do  I,"  howled  Joel. 

Da  vie  began,  but  stopped  at  sight  of  Polly's 
face. 

"  Now  see  here,"  cried  Polly,  running  over 
to  throw  her  arms  around  Phronsie,  "  we  must 
all  be  good.  We  promised  Mamsie,  you 
know." 

"  I  want  her  back,"  cried  Joel,  in  a  loud  voice, 
as  Phronsie  wailed  steadily  on. 

"  How  would  you  like  to  play  '  Old  Father 
Dubbin  '  ?  "  cried  Polly,  in  a  shaking  voice. 
"  Wouldn't  that  be  just  too  fine  for  anything!  " 

"  Can  we  really  ?  "  cried  Joel,  his  shouts 
breaking  off  suddenly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly.  "  Now,  pet,  we  are  go- 
iiS 


"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  '"       1 19 

ing  to  play  *  Old  Father  Dubbin/  Don't  you 
want  to,  Phronsie  ?  " 

Phronsie  showed  her  little  white  teeth  in 
a  merry  gurgle.  "  I  do  want  to  play  it  ever 
so  much,  Polly,"  she  said,  smiling  through  her 
tears. 

"  Hurrah !  Hurrah ! "  screamed  Joel,  hop- 
ping about.  "  Come  on,  Dave,  we're  going  to 
play  'Old  Father  Dubbin!'  We  haven't 
playe^i  it  for  ever  and  ever  so  long/'  he  added 
in  an  injured  tone. 

"Of  course  not,"  said  Polly,  bustling  about. 
"  Now,  boys,  come  and  help  me  get  ready." 

No  need  to  tell  them  this,  as  they  scampered 
after  her. 

"  Old  Father  Dubbin "  was  saved,  since 
Polly  made  up  the  game,  for  very  special  occa- 
sions like  the  present  when  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  children  to  be  diverted.  So 
now  the  kitchen  rang  with  the  noise,  and  they 
all  spun  around  till  tired  out,  for  of  course  the 
one  idea  was  to  keep  everybody  from  a  chance 
to  cry. 

At  last  Polly  looked  up  at  the  old  clock. 
"  Oh,  my  goodness !  "  she  exclaimed,  brushing 
her  brown  hair  out  of  her  eyes.  "  We've  got 


120  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

to  stop.  We  can't  play  all  the  time.  Dear 
me !  I  haven't  got  a  bit  of  breath  left." 

"  I  have,"  declared  Joel,  "  and  we  haven't 
played  more'n  half  of  all  the  time.  Don't  stop, 
Polly  —  don't  stop !  "  He  came  whirling  up 
to  her. 

"  Don't  stop,"  echoed  Phronsie,  dancing  up. 
"  I  want  '  Old  Father  Dubbin '  some  more." 

"  I  very  much  wish,"  said  Davie  with  red 
cheeks,  "  we  could  play  it  again,  Polly." 

"  No,"  said  Polly  decidedly,  "  it's  five  o'clock, 
and  we  must  all  set  to  work  now.  Besides, 
Ben  will  get  home  soon." 

"O  dear!"  grumbled  Joel.  "  What'll  we 
work  on,  Polly?" 

"  Well,"  said  Polly,  "  you  and  Davie  can  go 
and  chop  some  kindlings  for  to-morrow  morn- 
ing." 

"  We're  always  chopping  kindlings,"  said 
Joel,  peevishly. 

"Of  course,"  said  Polly,  in  a  cheery  voice, 
"because  we're  always  wanting  them.  Now 
go  along,  boys.  I  must  sweep  up,  for  we've 
made  such  a  dust  playing  '  Old  Father  Dub- 
bin,' "  and  she  dashed  off  after  the  broom. 

"And  I'm  going  to  sweep  up,  too,"  cried 


"OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  "        121 

Phronsie,  running  over  to  the  corner  where  her 
little  broom  was  kept  behind  the  wood-box. 

"  Come  on,  Dave,  we've  got  to  chop  those 
old  kindlings,"  said  Joel,  gloomily,  going  over 
to  the  door. 

"  I'm  going  to  bring  in  a  lot/'  said  Davie, 
spreading  his  arms  wide. 

"  I'm  going  to  bring  in  enough  for  two  hun- 
dred —  no,  five  hundred  mornings,"  declared 
Joel,  as  they  ran  out  to  the  woodshed. 

"  Now,  Phronsie,"  said  Polly,  when  the 
sweeping  up  was  all  done,  and  the  chairs  placed 
back  neatly  against  the  wall,  "  I  think  you  and 
I  better  set  the  supper  table.  Ben  will  be  here 
soon,  you  know."  She  gave  a  long  sigh  and 
gazed  out  of  the  window.  Oh,  if  Ben  would 
only  hurry  and  come!  It  was  getting  dark, 
and  the  hardest  hour  of  all  the  day  to  have 
Mamsie  away  was  drawing  near. 

"  Bensie  will  be  here  soon,"  hummed  Phron- 
sie, running  over  to  help  Polly  lay  the  table 
cloth. 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly.  "  Now,  that's  a  good 
girl,  Phronsie.  You  see  — " 

"  I've  got  the  most,"  cried  Joel,  staggering 
in  at  the  doorway,  his  arms  full  of  all  sorts  and 


122  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

sizes  of  sticks.     "  Whickets !     See  me,  Polly !  " 

"  Oh,  Joey,  I  don't  want  to  see  you  when 
you  say  such  words,"  said  Polly  reprovingly. 

"  I  won't  say  'em  any  more.  Now  look  — 
look!"  Joel  swelled  up  in  front  of  her,  and 
brandished  his  armful. 

"  O  my !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  "  what  a  nice 
lot !  And  Davie,  too !  Dear  me,  how  you  two 
boys  do  help !  " 

"  I  haven't  got  so  much,"  said  David,  draw- 
ing slowly  near  with  both  arms  around  his  kind- 
lings. 

"  His  sticks  are  better  than  mine,"  said  Joel 
critically,  as  the  boys  stood  before  Polly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  her  head  on  one  side  to 
view  them  the  better.  "  I  believe  they  are,  Joel. 
Well,  it's  a  nice  lot  altogether,  anyway.  Now 
put  them  all  in  the  wood-box." 

"  Now  what  shall  we  do?  "  asked  Joel,  fidget- 
ing about,  the  kindlings  all  dumped  in  the 
wood-box,  and  going  over  to  Mother  Pepper's 
big  calico-covered  chair,  his  round  face  very 
sober. 

"  I  believe,"  said  Polly  meditatively,  "  we'd 
better  light  the  candle  —  it's  growing  dark." 

"  Why,  Polly  Pepper!     Light  the  candle!  " 


"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  "       123 

exclaimed  Joel.  "  Mamsie  wouldn't  light  it  so 
early." 

Phronsie  stopped  suddenly  in  putting  her 
blue  and  white  plate  on  the  table.  "  I  want  my 
Mamsie,"  she  said  soberly.  Then  she  sat  down 
in  a  little  bunch  on  the  floor,  and  put  her  head 
in  her  lap. 

"  O  dear  me ! "  cried  Polly  in  dismay. 
Would  Ben  ever  come!  "I  wonder  if  you 
don't  all  want  me  to  tell  you  a  story." 

"  Oh !  "  screamed  Joel  and  David  together, 
"  we  do  —  we  do !  "  running  over  to  her. 

"  Well,  I  can't  tell  a  story  ever  in  all  this 
world  while  Phronsie  is  crying,"  said  Polly,  at 
her  wits'  end  what  to  do  next. 

"Phronsie  —  stop  crying!"  Joel  rushed 
over  and  shook  her  pink  calico  sleeve.  "  Polly 
can't  tell  a  story  while  you're  crying.  She 
won't  stop,"  he  announced  wrath  fully. 

For  Phronsie  kept  on  in  a  smothered  little 
voice,  "  I  want  my  Mamsie." 

"  Phronsie,"  Davie  kneeled  down  on  the 
kitchen  floor  beside  her.  "  Please  stop.  Polly 
wants  to  tell  a  story.  You'll  make  Polly  sick 
if  you  don't  stop  crying." 

Up  came  Phronsie's  yellow  head,  and  she 


124  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

wiped  off  the  tears  with  one  fat  little  hand. 
"Do  I  make  you  sick,  Polly?"  she  asked,  in 
a  tone  of  deep  concern. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  shall  be,"  said  Polly  gravely, 
"  if  you  don't  stop  crying." 

"  Then  I  will  stop,"  said  Phronsie  brokenly. 
"  I  don't  want  you  to  be  sick,  Polly.  Please 
don't  be." 

"  Now  if  ever  there  was  a  good  child,  it's 
you,  Phronsie,"  cried  Polly,  seizing  her  to 
smother  the  little  face  with  kisses.  "  Well, 
come  on,  boys,  we  must  sit  around  the  fire- 
place, and  I'll  tell  you  a  story." 

"  There  isn't  any  fireplace,"  said  Joel,  as 
Polly  led  the  way  over  to  the  stove. 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  pretend  there  is,"  said 
Polly,  getting  down  on  the  floor  in  front  of  the 
stove,  "  and  a  splendid  fire,  too.  My !  don't 
you  hear  the  logs  crackle,  and  isn't  this  blaze 
perfectly  beautiful ! "  and  she  spread  out  both 
hands. 

"  You're  always  pretending  there  are  things 
that  ain't  there,"  grumbled  Joel. 

"Of  course,"  said  Polly  gayly,  "that's  the 
way  to  have  them." 

"I  think  the  blaze  is  beautiful,  too,"  de- 


"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  "       125 

clared  Davie,  throwing  himself  down  by  her 
side  and  spreading  his  hands. 

"  Well,  I  guess  I'm  going  to  have  some  of  the 
blaze,"  said  Joel,  in  an  injured  tone,  and  he 
crowded  in  between  Polly  and  David. 

"  Well  now,  Phronsie,  put  your  head  in  my 
lap,"  said  Polly.  But  she  turned  a  cold 
shoulder  to  Joel. 

Joel  fidgeted  about.  "  Dave,  you  can  sit 
next  to  Polly/'  he  whispered. 

"  That's  right,"  Polly  flashed  him  a  smile 
over  Phronsie's  yellow  head. 

"  You  may  have  the  place,"  said  Davie,  try- 
ing not  to  want  it  very  much. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  said  Polly,  "  how  would 
it  do  for  each  of  you  to  have  the  place  half  of 
the  time,  and  I'll  tell  you  when  to  change  ?  " 

A  smile  ran  over  David's  face. 

"All  right,"  said  Joel,  folding  his  little 
brown  hands.  "  Now  begin." 

"  Well,  now,  I'm  going  to  tell  you  about  — " 
said  Polly. 

"  Oh,  the  circus  story !  "  shouted  Joel  wildly. 
"  Do  tell  about  the  circus  story,  Polly." 

"  Do  you  want  the  circus  story,  Davie  ?  " 
asked  Polly. 


126  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Say  yes,  Dave.  Do  say  yes,"  said  Joel, 
nudging  him. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  Davie  in  great  satisfaction. 

"And  you'd  like  to  hear  about  all  the  ani- 
mals, Phronsie,  wouldn't  you?"  asked  Polly, 
bending  over  the  yellow  head  in  her  lap. 

"  Polly,"  asked  Phronsie,  lifting  her  head  in 
great  excitement,  "  is  that  about  the  dear,  sweet 
little  monkey?" 

"Yes,  Pet,"  said  Polly,  "  it  is." 

"  Then,"  said  Phronsie,  clapping  her  hands, 
"  I  should  like  to  hear  about  it  very  much  in- 
deed. Please  begin  right  straight  off,  Polly," 
and  she  laid  her  head  down  in  Polly's  lap  again. 

"  Well,  you  see,"  began  Polly  —  would  Ben 
never  come ! 

"  Don't  say,  '  you  see/  "  interrupted  Joel  im- 
patiently ;  "  do  tell  about  the  animals,  and  have 
a  bear  —  no,  two  bears  — " 

"  You're  always  having  a  bear,"  said  Polly, 
with  a  little  laugh.  "  Well,  there  were  lots  of 
bears  in  this  circus  I  am  going  to  tell  you  of." 

"  How  many  ?  "  demanded  Joel. 

"  Oh,  fifty,"  said  Polly  recklessly. 

"  Whickets!  "  cried  Joel  in  amazement. 


"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  "       127 

"  Now,  Joel,  I  can't  tell  any  story  if  you're 
going  to  say  such  naughty  words." 

"  I  won't  —  I  won't,"  cried  Joel  in  alarm  at 
losing  the  story.  "  Were  there  really  fifty 
bears,  Polly  ?  "  He  crowded  up  close  to  her. 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  bobbing  her  brown  head. 
"  And  the  circus  man  said  he  was  thinking  of 
buying  two  more." 

"  O  dear  me ! "  cried  Joel,  quite  overcome 
and  snuggling  down  against  her  arm.  "  Well, 
go  on." 

"  Well,  there  was  a  hip-hip-pot-amus,"  Polly 
finally  brought  the  whole  out  with  great  pride. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Joel. 

David  clasped  his  hands  in  silent  rapture, 
and  kept  his  gaze  on  the  black  stove  that  was 
a  crackling  fire  on  the  hearth. 

"  And  a  rho-do-den-dron,"  added  Polly, 
"and—" 

"What's  a  rho-rho-do  —  what  you  said?" 
interrupted  Joel,  his  head  bobbing  up  again. 

"  Oh,  a  great  big  creature,"  said  Polly. 

"  How  big?  "  demanded  Joel. 

"  Oh,  my  goodness  —  I  can't  ever  tell  how 
big  he  was,"  said  Polly. 


128          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  want  to  know  how  big  he  was,"  grumbled 
Joel.  "  So  big  ?  "  he  spread  his  arms  wide. 

"O  dear  me!"  cried  Polly,  with  a  little 
laugh.  "  Why,  that  isn't  anywhere  near  as 
big,  Joey  Pepper,  and  he  splashed  into  the 
water,  and — " 

"  Where  did  he  splash  into  the  water  ?  "  cried 
Joel;  "  say,  Polly,  where  did  he?  " 

"  Why,  there  was  a  pond  next  to  the  circus 
tent,"  said  Polly,  going  on  wildly,  her  gaze  on 
the  window  to  see  when  Ben  came  around  the 
corner  of  the  little  brown  house. 

"  As  big  as  the  pond  over  at  Cherry ville  ?  " 
demanded  Joel. 

",Yes,  just  as  big  as  that,"  said  Polly,  will- 
ing to  make  it  any  size. 

"  Dave,"  cried  Joel,  poking  his  face  over 
David's  shoulder,  "  it  was  just  like  that  great 
big  pond  over  at  Cherryville.  Only  Mr.  Tis- 
bett  wouldn't  let  us  go  near  it,"  he  said  resent- 
fully ;  "  he  wouldn't,  Polly,  when  he  took  us 
over  on  the  stage.  Well,  go  on,"  and  he  threw 
himself  back  against  Polly  once  more.  "  Make 
him  splash,  and  splash,  that  great  big  thing. 
What  was  his  name,  Polly  ?  " 

"  Rho-do-rho-do-den-dron,"  said  Polly,  wish- 


"OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN"       129 

ing  she  never  had  seen  the  picture  in  the  ani- 
mal book  on  Mrs.  Blodgett's  center-table. 
"  Well,  now,  it's  time  for  you  and  Davie  to 
change  places,  Joel.  Why !  " 

"  Hulloa !  So  you've  got  a  rhododendron, 
Polly." 

"Oh,  Ben!"  every  one  of  the  children 
jumped  to  their  feet.  Polly  got  to  him  first 
and  threw  wild  arms  around  his  neck. 

"  We've  been  playing  '  Old  Father  Dubbin'," 
announced  Davie. 

Ben  choked  off  what  he  was  going  to  ask, 
"  Where's  Mamsie?  "  If  "  Old  Father  Dub- 
bin "  had  been  played,  something  pretty  bad 
must  have  happened,  for  Polly  to  rescue  the 
little  brown  house  from  gloom  with  that  game. 
"  Well,  now,"  he  said,  "  I  suppose  we've  got  to 
have  that  story  finished." 

"  Yes,  yes,  we  have,"  howled  Joel,  dancing 
about.  "  Go  on,  Polly,  do,"  and  he  flopped 
down  in  front  of  the  stove  and  thrust  out  his 
hands.  "  There's  a  big  fire  on  the  hearth,"  he 
said  to  Ben. 

"  And  hear  the  logs  crackle,"  said  Davie,  sit- 
ting down  by  his  side  and  spreading  his  hands, 
too. 


130  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Ben  gravely.  "  Now  come 
on,  Phronsie,  and  we'll  hear  the  rest  about  that 
wonderful  rhinoceros,"  and  he  sat  down,  pull- 
ing her  into  his  lap. 

"  No,  no,  that  wasn't  his  name/'  contradicted 
Joel;  "'twas  — oh,  what  was  it,  Polly?"  and 
he  wrinkled  up  his  face. 

"Twas  what  Ben  said,"  Polly  hung  her 
head. 

"  Your  name  is  prettier  than  mine,  anyway, 
Polly,"  said  Ben.  "  Well  now  let's  hear  the 
rest  of  the  story." 

So  Polly,  quite  happy  now  that  Ben  was 
actually  there,  ran  her  arm  in  his,  and  launched 
into  such  a  merry  account  of  what  that  rhi- 
noceros was  capable  of  that  even  Joel  was  satis- 
fied and  David  wasn't  conscious  of  breathing. 

A  gentle  pull  brought  Polly  to  suddenly. 
"  Tell  about  my  dear,  sweet  little  monkey,  do, 
Polly,"  begged  Phronsie. 

"To  be  sure, —  how  could  I  forget  you?" 
cried  Polly  remorsefully. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  a  monkey,"  screamed 
Joel ;  "  we  can  have  him  any  day.  Do  go  on 
about  that  —  that  —- " 


"OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN"       131 

"  See  here,  Joe,"  Ben  gave  him  a  small  pat 
on  his  back,  "  it's  time  to  rest  that  rhinoceros. 
He's  awfully  big,  and  he  gets  tired  easily." 

"Does  he?  "cried  Joel. 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  then,  go  on  about  the  monkey." 

"  I'm  going  to  have  my  dear,  sweet  monkey 
now,"  whispered  Phronsie  in  Ben's  ear. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  Ben  whispered  back. 
"  Well,  go  on,  Polly." 

So  the  monkey  went  through  all  the  antics 
that  belonged  to  one,  and  a  good  many  more 
that  hadn't  anything  to  do  with  a  monkey  at  all. 

At  last  Ben  looked  up  at  the  old  clock. 
"  Whew!  Well,  Polly  Pepper,  I  should  say  it 
was  time  for  supper !  " 

At  that  they  all  jumped  up,  and  in  the  scuffle 
to  get  to  the  table  first,  Polly  drew  Ben  aside. 
"  Mamsie's  gone  to  old  Miss  Babbitt's,"  she 
whispered.  "  Mr.  Tisbett  came  for  her.  Miss 
Babbitt  has  broken  her  hip." 

"  Whew  I "  said  Ben  again. 

"  And  how  shall  ever  we  get  the  children  to 
bed,"  said  Polly,  in  a  distressed  little  voice, 
"without  Mamsie?" 


132  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Ben  looked  all  around  the  old  kitchen  with  a 
sober  face.  "  Same's  you've  done  all  the  after- 
noon —  keep  'em  busy." 

"We  can't  play  'Old  Father  Dubbin' 
again,"  said  Polly.  "  We  must  save  that  for 
next  times  when  things  are  bad." 

"That's  so,"  said  Ben;  "then  it  must  be 
blind  man's  buff,  or  puss-in-the-corner,  I  sup- 
pose." 

"  What  are  you  whispering  about  ?  "  cried 
Joel,  coming  up  curiously.  "  You're  always 
getting  off  into  a  corner  and  whispering 
things." 

"  Well,  that's  because  we  can't  talk  unless 
we  do  get  into  a  corner.  You're  always  poking 
around  so,  Joe,"  said  Ben.  "  Come  on  now, 
all  hands  to  supper !  " 

He  swung  Phronsie  up  to  his  shoulder  and 
then  into  the  chair  that  he  had  made  high 
enough  for  her  by  nailing  a  board  across  two 
strips  of  wood.  "  Now  says  I,  here  you  go, 
Puss ! " 

They  were  all  so  tired  when  they  got  through 
with  blind  man's  buff,  the  supper  dishes  first 
being  well  out  of  the  way,  that  Phronsie,  who 
wanted  to  be  "  Puss,"  fell  asleep  on  the  little 


"  OLD  FATHER  DUBBIN  "       133 

cricket  before  they  could  get  her  into  the  corner. 
So  Polly  bundled  her  off  to  the  trundle-bed  and 
tucked  her  up  with  a  kiss. 

"  Now  the  worst  is  over,"  she  said,  coming 
out  of  the  bedroom,  to  Ben. 

"  And  you  two  boys  —  it's  time  you  were 
off/'  said  Ben,  pointing  to  the  loft,  "  or  you'll 
tumble  asleep  like  Phronsie." 

"  I'm  not  sleepy,"  said  Joel,  digging  his 
knuckles  into  his  black  eyes  and  trying  to  keep 
awake. 

"  I  am,"  said  Davie,  "  and  my  legs  are  tired." 
And  he  stumbled  off  to  the  loft  stairs. 

"  Hoh !  "  exclaimed  Joel,  following  slowly, 
"  I  ain't  sleepy  a  single  bit.  And  Polly  and 
you  are  going  to  talk  over  secrets  after  we're 
gone,"  and  he  turned  half-way  up  the  loft  stairs 
to  show  an  injured  face. 

"  Well,  you  wouldn't  hear  any  secrets  if  you 
stayed,"  declared  Ben  coolly,  "  so  you  might  as 
well  take  yourself  off,  Joe." 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX 

IV/fRS.  PARSON  HENDERSON  for  once 
•*•  "^  left  her  breakfast  dishes  unwashed. 

"  It's  no  use  —  I  must  get  over  to  the  little 
brown  house  at  once."  She  took  down  her 
sunbonnet  from  its  nail  in  the  entry  and  stopped 
to  put  her  head  in  the  study  doorway. 

"  You'll  be  surprised  to  see  the  kitchen  if  you 
go  out  there/*  she  said,  "  and  the  morning  work 
not  done." 

"  Jerusha  isn't  here,  so  no  matter,"  said  the 
parson,  looking  up  from  next  Sunday's  sermon 
with  a  smile. 

: "  I  can't  keep  away  from  those  poor  Pepper 
children,  since  you  heard  down  at  the  store 
that  their  mother  was  away  last  night  at  Miss 
Babbitt's." 

"  Almira,  I'm  glad  enough  that  you're  going 
over  to  see  Polly.     I  thought  it  would  be  as 
much  as  my  life  was  worth  to  suggest  it  till 
134 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  135 

those  breakfast  dishes  were  washed."  He 
laughed  now  like  a  boy. 

"  There  are  some  things  more  important  than 
breakfast  dishes,"  observed  his  wife  grimly. 
Then  she  hurried  off,  cross-lots,  to  the  little 
brown  house. 

Nobody  was  in  the  old  kitchen ;  that  she  saw 
through  the  window.  So  she  hurried  around 
the  house  and  there  under  the  scraggy  apple- 
tree  was  Polly  before  the  big  tub  on  its  bench, 
scrubbing  away  on  a  pile  of  clothes  and  trying 
to  sing,  but  it  was  a  quavering  little  voice  that 
the  parson's  wife  heard. 

"  Go  and  get  your  little  tub,  Phronsie,"  said 
Polly,  breaking  off  from  the  poor  little  song, 
"  and  wash  Seraphina's  clothes." 

"  I  want  my  Mamsie."  Phronsie,  a  picture 
of  woe,  stood  quite  still  under  a  sheltering 
branch  of  the  old  apple  tree. 

"  Oh,  Phronsie,"  said  Polly,  trying  to  speak 
gayly,  "just  think  of  Seraphina,  poor  dear, 
wanting  her  clothes  washed.  Only  think, 
Phronsie ! " 

"  I  want  my  Mamsie,"  said  Phronsie,  not 
offering  to  stir.  Her  lips  trembled  and  Polly 
knew  in  another  moment  that  the  tears  would 


136  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

come  in  a  torrent;  so  she  flung  her  hands  clear 
of  the  soap  suds  and  started  to  run  over  to  her. 
Instead  she  plunged  into  the  parson's  wife  just 
making  up  her  mind  to  come  around  the  cor- 
ner into  full  view. 

"O  dear!"  gasped  Polly  in  dismay,  her 
soapy  hands  flying  up  against  the  clean  blue 
print  dress. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Henderson,  "  soap 
never  hurt  any  calico  dress,"  seizing  the  wet 
hands.  "  O  my ! "  and  she  hurried  over  to 
Phronsie,  too  scared  at  Polly's  plunge  to  cry. 

"Well  — well."  Then  as  Polly  ran  to  get 
a  dry  cloth  to  wipe  off  the  front  of  the  clean 
print  dress,  the  parson's  wife  sat  down  on  one 
of  the  big  stones  that  Ben  and  the  other  boys 
had  brought  into  "  the  orchard  "  to  play  tea- 
party  with  whenever  the  much-prized  hours 
from  work  would  allow. 

Phronsie  came  slowly  to  her.  "  I  want  my 
Mamsie,"  she  said,  patting  Mrs.  Henderson's 
gown  to  attract  attention.  "  I  want  her  very 
much  indeed,  I  do." 

"  Yes,  I  know."  Then  the  parson's  wife 
lifted  her  on  her  lap.  "  So  does  Polly  want 
Mamsie  —  and  Davie.  Where  is  Davie?" 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  137 

Phronsie  pointed  a  small  finger  up  to  the 
branches  of  the  apple-tree. 

"Oh,  Davie,  are  you  there?"  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson cocked  up  one  eye.  There  sat  Davie 
huddled  up  in  a  crotch  of  the  tree,  his  head  in 
his  hands.  "  Dear  me.  I  thought  it  was  a 
big  bird!" 

"  Davie  is  a  big  bird,"  echoed  Phronsie, 
smiling  through  the  tears  that  were  just  ready 
to  roll  down. 

"  Isn't  he,"  said  the  parson's  wife  with  a 
little  laugh.  "  Well,  now,  come  down,  big 
bird." 

"  Come  down,  big  bird,"  cried  Phronsie, 
clapping  her  hands  and  hopping  up  and  down, 
as  Polly  ran  out  with  the  clean  cloth. 

"  Now  that  is  as  good  as  ever,"  declared 
Mrs.  Henderson,  as  Polly  wiped  off  all  trace 
of  the  soap  suds.  "  Well,  here  comes  Davie," 
as  he  slid  slowly  down  from  branch  to  branch. 

"  That's  a  good  boy,  Davie,"  said  Polly  ap- 
provingly, the  sparkle  coming  back  to  the 
brown  eyes. 

"  Isn't  he  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Henderson.  "  Well, 
now,  Davie,  I  wonder  if  you  won't  come  over 
to  the  parsonage  and  help  me  this  morning?  " 


I38  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Can  I  help  you  ?  "  asked  Davie,  raising  his 
swollen  eyes  to  her. 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  ever  so  much,"  declared  Mrs. 
Henderson  quickly.  "  I've  some  work  to  have 
done  in  setting  up  my  attic,  and  you  can  help 
me." 

"  Then  I'll  come,"  said  Davie,  with  a  long 
breath  of  satisfaction. 

"  Now  that's  good,"  said  the  parson's  wife. 

"  I  want  to  go,  too,"  said  Phronsie,  laying 
hold  of  Mrs.  Henderson's  gown. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  parson's  wife,  "  you 
must  stay  and  help  Polly.  Poor  Polly  —  see 
how  busy  she  is ! "  pointing  over  to  the  wash- 
tub  where  Polly  was  splashing  away  for  dear 
life. 

Phronsie's  hand  dropped  from  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson's gown.  She  ran  over  unsteadily  to 
the  big  tub  on  its  bench.  "  I'm  going  to  help 
you,  Polly,"  she  said,  standing  on  her  tiptoes. 

"  So  you  shall,"  said  Polly,  flashing  over  a 
bright  smile  to  the  parson's  wife.  "  Run  and 
get  your  little  tub,  and  see  if  you  can  get  Sera- 
phina's  clothes  washed  as  quickly  as  these,"  she 
doused  one  of  the  boy's  little  calico  jackets  up 
and  down  in  the  suds. 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  139 

"  But  I  want  to  help  on  these  things,"  said 
Phronsie,  patting  the  big  tub  with  a  disap- 
pointed little  hand.  "  Please,  Polly,  let  me." 

"No,"  said  Polly  decidedly,  "there  isn't 
room  for  more  than  one  here.  Besides  Mam- 
sie  wouldn't  like  it." 

"  Wouldn't  Mamsie  like  it  for  me  to  help  in 
the  big  tub  ?  "  asked  Phronsie. 

"  No,  she  wouldn't,"  said  Polly  decidedly. 

Phronsie  slowly  let  her  hand  drop  to  her 
side.  "  Would  Mamsie  want  me  to  wash 
dolly's  clothes?  "  she  asked,  her  blue  eyes  fast- 
ened on  Polly's  face. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  she  certainly  would,"  declared 
Polly  decidedly.  "  There  now,  that's  clean, 
until  Joey  gets  it  dirty  again,"  and  she  wrung 
out  the  little  calico  blouse. 

"  Then  I  shall  wash  my  dolly's  clothes,"  de- 
clared Phronsie,  marching  off  to  the  woodshed 
where  her  little  tub  was  kept. 

"  And  you  come  with  me,  David,"  said  Mrs. 
Henderson,  "  for  I  must  get  to  work  in  my 
attic.  Polly,  don't  worry,  child —  we'll  find 
some  way  to  get  your  mother  back  here,"  she 
whispered  on  the  way  out  of  the  yard.  And 
taking  David's  hand,  the  parson's  wife  went 


140  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

swiftly  home,  hoping  at  every  step  that  no 
parishioner  had  caught  sight  of  those  unwashed 
breakfast  dishes. 

"  I'm  going  to  wipe  them  dry/'  said  David, 
as  she  poured  the  boiling  water  into  the  dish- 
pan.  "  May  I,  Mrs.  Henderson?  " 

"  You  certainly  may,"  said  the  parson's  wife, 
setting  the  big  iron  tea-kettle  back  on  the  stove. 
"  Now  that's  a  good  boy,  Davie  Pepper.  Get 
a  clean  towel  in  the  table  drawer." 

So  Davie  ran  over  and  fished  out  a  clean 
towel,  and  the  dishes  were  soon  done  and  piled 
on  the  dresser.  And  none  too  soon!  Here 
came  around  the  corner  of  the  parsonage,  Miss 
Keturah  Sims  to  borrow  a  colander  to  strain 
blackberries  in. 

"  I've  got  to  make  jell  this  mornin',"  she  an- 
nounced, coming  in  without  the  formality  of 
knocking,  "an'  my  colander's  bust."  Her 
sharp  black  eyes,  the  sharpest  pair  in  all 
Badgertown  for  finding  out  things,  as  the  par- 
son's wife  knew  quite  well,  roved  all  over  the 
kitchen. 

"  You  shall  have  it,"  cried  Mrs.  Henderson, 
running  into  the  pantry  on  happy  feet.  "  Oh, 
Davie  Pepper,"  she  cried,  as  the  door  closed 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  141 

on  Miss  Sims,  "you  don't  know  how  you've 
helped  me !  "  She  stopped  to  drop  a  kiss  on 
the  soft  light  hair. 

"  Have  I  ?  "  cried  David,  very  much  pleased. 
"  Have  I  helped  you,  Mrs.  Henderson?  " 

"  Indeed  you  have ! "  she  declared.  Then 
she  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  kitchen.  "  I 
remember  what  your  mother  once  said." 

David  drew  near,  holding  his  breath.  To 
hear  what  Mamsie  said  was  always  a  treat  not 
to  be  lightly  put  one  side. 

"  She  said,"  repeated  Mrs.  Henderson,  "  that 
if  any  one  felt  bad  about  anything,  the  best 
way  was  to  get  up  and  do  something  for  some- 
body. And  so  you  stopped  crying  and  worry- 
ing Polly  and  came  over  here.  And  you  don't 
know,  David  Pepper,  how  you've  helped  me! 
Well,  we  must  get  up  into  the  attic."  She  hur- 
ried over  to  the  broom  closet.  "  Get  the  dust- 
pan, David,  behind  the  stove." 

"  I  will,"  cried  David,  clattering  after  it. 

"  And  the  little  brush." 

"Yes  — I  will." 

"And  the  dust-cloth,  hanging  on  the  back 
entry  nail,"  Mrs.  Henderson's  voice  trailed 
down  the  attic  stairs.  And  Davie,  gathering 


142  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

up  the  various  things,  hurried  up  after  her. 

"  Dear  me,  how  hot  it  is ! "  exclaimed  the 
parson's  wife,  hurrying  over  to  open  the  win- 
dow at  the  end. 

"  I'll  open  it,"  cried  David,  depositing  his 
armful  so  hastily  that  down  the  stairs  rattled 
the  little  brush  and  the  dust-pan,  and  only  the 
dust  cloth  remained. 

"  No,  no,  Davie,  I  must  open  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Henderson,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 
"And  remember,  dear,"  as  he  brought  back 
the  truant  articles,  "  you  must  wait  patiently 
till  I  tell  you  what  to  do." 

"  I'm  so  sorry,"  said  David  penitently,  still 
holding  the  runaway  broom  and  dust-pan. 

"  I  know,  dear  —  and  next  time,  remember 
to  wait  until  I  tell  you  what  I  want  you  to  do. 
Well,  the  first  thing,  now  that  the  window  is 
open,  and  we  have  some  fresh  air  to  work  by, 
is  to  get  these  trunks  and  boxes  out  from  this 
corner."  She  was  over  there  by  this  time  and 
down  on  her  knees  under  the  eaves. 

"I'll  pull  'em  out,"  began  Davie;  then  he 
stopped  and  looked  at  her,  "  if  you  want  me 
to." 

"That's    a    good    boy,"    Mrs.    Henderson 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  143 

turned  and  looked  at  him.  "  You've  no  idea 
what  a  comfort  it  is,  David  Pepper,  to  have 
any  one  who  wants  to  help,  wait  till  he's  told 
what  to  do!  Well,  you  mustn't  even  attempt 
to  pull  these  trunks  and  boxes  about.  We  will 
each  take  hold  of  a  handle,  then  it  will  be  easy 
to  shove  them  out."  She  got  up  suddenly. 
Rap!  went  her  head  against  a  low-lying  beam. 

David  stared  at  her  in  dismay.  "  O  dear !  " 
he  exclaimed,  quite  aghast. 

"  Yes,  that  did  hurt,"  said  the  parson's  wife, 
feeling  of  her  head,  "  and  it  was  all  because  I 
was  in  too  big  a  hurry.  Now  I'm  going  down 
stairs  to  bathe  it,  and  you  may — "  She  hesi- 
tated and  looked  about.  "  Why  there  is  that 
little  box  of  books,  David.  You  may  take 
them  out  and  dust  them,  for  somebody  has  left 
the  cover  off.  There  it  is  now,  behind  that 
table."  She  pointed  to  an  ancestral  piece  of 
furniture  with  one  leg  missing.  "  Take  your 
dust-cloth,  child,  and  begin,  then  pile  the  books 
neatly  in  the  box,  and  set  the  cover  on,"  and 
she  went  swiftly  down  the  stairs. 

David  ran  over  and  picked  up  the  dust-cloth 
where  he  had  thrown  it  on  the  floor.  Books! 
—  to  think  there  were  books  in  that  box !  His 


144  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

small  fingers  tingled  to  begin,  and  he  threw 
himself  down  on  the  floor  beside  the  box,  and 
peered  in.  There  were  green  books,  and  red 
ones,  and  very  dull  gray  and  black  ones,  all 
more  or  less  dilapidated. 

He  drew  a  long  breath,  his  blue  eyes  widen- 
ing as  his  hands  clutched  the  sides  of  the  box. 
"  I  better  take  'em  all  out  first/'  he  said  to  him- 
self, and  lifting  the  upper  layer  very  carefully, 
he  laid  them  down,  one  by  one,  on  the  floor  be- 
side him.  A  red-covered  book,  the  back  of  the 
binding  almost  in  tatters,  slipped  from  his  fin- 
gers and  fell  to  the  attic  floor. 

"  O  dear  me ! "  he  was  going  to  exclaim, 
when  his  gaze  fell  upon  the  pages  before  him. 
There  was  a  big  picture  on  one  side  and  a  whole 
lot  of  reading  on  the  other  page. 

David  leaned  over  to  stare  at  the  picture. 
Then  he  rested  his  elbows  on  the  attic  floor  and 
stared  harder  than  ever.  The  picture  showed 
a  boy  seated  before  a  desk,  bent  over  a  slate, 
on  which  he  was  writing,  and  opposite  to  him 
the  book  said,  "  I  must  get  my  lesson  for  to- 
morrow," in  great  big  letters. 

David  knew  very  well  what  these  big  letters 
said,  for  Mother  Pepper  had  often  told  Polly 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  145 

to  lay  down  her  work  when  she  was  trying  to 
help  Mamsie  on  the  coats  for  Mr.  Atkins,  tell- 
ing her,  "  You  have  sewed  enough,  Polly  child. 
Now  get  the  big  Bible  from  the  bedroom,  and 
read  aloud.  And  then  you  can  teach  the  chil- 
dren, Polly,"  she  would  always  add. 

So  Davie  had  picked  up  everything  he  pos- 
sibly could  about  any  big  letters  that  were 
likely  to  come  his  way. 

"  The  boy  is  going  to  school,"  said  David, 
unable  to  tear  his  eyes  from  the  picture,  "  and 
he's  going  to  learn  a  lesson.  O  dear,  I  won- 
der when  I  shall  ever  go  to  school !  And  he's 
got  a  slate  and  pencil." 

At  that  David  was  so  lost  at  the  idea  of  any 
boy  being  rich  enough  to  own  a  slate  and  pen- 
cil, that  he  sat  perfectly  still,  and  a  big  spider 
hurried  out  of  her  web  and  ran  along  the 
eaves,  to  stare  down  at  him.  Finally  seeing 
that  he  didn't  stir,  she  slipped  down  swiftly  on 
her  gossamer  thread,  and  landed  right  in  the 
middle  of  the  book  with  the  dilapidated  red 
binding.  This  woke  David  up.  And  of 
course  Mrs.  Spider  then  ran  for  her  life. 

"  I'm  going  to  see  if  there  are  other  boys 
with  slates  and  pencils,"  said  David,  turning  the 


i46  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

leaves.  There  lay  the  dust-cloth  beside  him, 
but  he  never  thought  of  that.  And  as  he 
couldn't  read  very  much,  but  had  to  study  each 
letter  carefully,  he  didn't  get  on  very  fast,  es- 
pecially as  there  was  a  picture  on  every  other 
page.  And  of  course  he  must  see  what  the  big 
letters  opposite  said  it  was  all  about. 

The  first  thing  he  knew  there  were  some 
steps  coming  up  the  attic  stairs. 

David's  head  came  up  suddenly,  and  the  old 
book  slipped  away  from  his  grasp. 

"  My  mother  says  you  are  to  come  down  to 
dinner,"  said  Peletiah,  coming  slowly  up. 

David  stared  at  him.  Then  his  little  face 
got  hot  all  over. 

"  My  mother  says  you  are  to  come  down  to 
dinner/'  said  the  parson's  son. 

"I  —  I  can't/'  said  David  miserably,  and 
his  head  hung  down. 

"  My  mother  says  you  are  to  come  down  to 
dinner/'  Peletiah  said,  exactly  as  if  giving  the 
message  for  the  first  time. 

"  No,  no,"  said  David,  unable  to  see  any- 
thing but  the  idle  dust-cloth  lying  on  the  floor. 

"  My  mother  says  — "  began  the  parson's 
son,  not  moving  from  his  tracks. 


THE  OLD  BOOK  BOX  147 

"  Da — vid! "  called  a  voice  over  the  attic 
stairs,  "  come,  child,  to  dinner.  You  must  be 
hungry,  working  so  hard." 

David  crouched  down  by  the  side  of  the  box. 
"  I  haven't  worked/*  he  said,  "  and  I  can't  have 
any  dinner." 

"  My  mother  says  — " 

"  Yes,  come,  child,"  called  the  voice  over  the 
attic  stairs,  "  and,  Peletiah,  you  must  come 
down,  too."  Peletiah,  considering  the  last 
command  to  come  to  dinner  much  more  to 
his  taste  and  more  binding  than  the  message  he 
was  sent  up  to  the  attic  to  deliver,  shut  his 
mouth  as  he  was  just  going  to  begin  on  his 
message  once  more,  and  went  down  the  stairs. 

David  looked  wildly  around  as  he  was  left 
alone,  with  no  one  but  the  big  spider  now  in 
her  home  web  once  more.  To  get  to  the  little 
brown  house  and  to  Polly  was  now  his  only 
thought !  He  would  be  carrying  disgrace  there 
—  but  he  must  go.  Then  jumping  to  his  feet, 
he  ran  as  fast  as  he  could  down  the  attic  stairs 
to  the  back  entry.  The  knives  and  forks  were 
going  pretty  fast  as  he  dashed  past  the  dining- 
room.  Oh,  how  jolly  it  all  sounded,  and  a 
most  enticing  smell  of  all  things  good  was  in 


i48          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

the  air,  as  he  dashed  past  and  out  into  the  par- 
sonage yard. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Parson  Henderson, 
and  he  laid  down  the  big  carving  knife  and 
fork  just  as  Mrs.  Henderson  was  saying,  "  I 
wonder  why  Davie  Pepper  doesn't  come  down 
to  dinner.  I've  neglected  the  poor  child,  for 
when  Mrs.  Jones  came  to  see  me  about  the 
Sewing  Society,  I  couldn't  get  back  to  the 
attic." 

Peletiah  got  out  of  his  chair  and  went  to 
the  window,  followed  by  Ezekiel.  "  There's 
David  Pepper,"  he  said,  pointing  with  a  slow 
finger  to  a  small  boy  running  blindly  on  across 
the  parsonage  yard. 


CHAPTER  X 
MARY  POTE  HELPS 

DAVID  rushed  into  the  old  kitchen  in  a 
whirlwind  of  distress.     There  was  no 
one  there,  and  stumbling  over  to  Mamsie's  big 
calico-covered  chair,  he  flung  himself  down  and 
buried  his  head  on  the  cushion. 

"  Now,  Phronsie,"  said  Polly,  running  in, 
"you've  been  such  a  good  girl,  I'm  going  to 
give  you  a  piece  of  that  gingerbread  dear  Mrs. 
Beebe  gave  us  the  other  day.  Shut  the  door, 
child." 

Phronsie  obediently  pushed  the  big  green 
door  to,  and  pattered  after  Polly. 

"  You  see,"  said  Polly,  running  her  head  into 
the  old  corner  cupboard,  "  Ben  and  Joel  will 
have  a  good  dinner  at  Deacon  Blodgett's,  and 
Davie  is  at  the  parsonage  —  I'm  so  glad  he  was 
such  a  good  boy  to  help  Mrs.  Henderson." 

"  Ugh!"  came  a  noise  from  the  corner  over 
by  Mrs.  Pepper's  big  chair. 
149 


1 50  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"What  was  that?"  cried  Polly,  pulling  her 
head  out  of  the  cupboard.  "  Don't  be  afraid, 
child/'  as  Phronsie  huddled  up  to  her. 

"  But  I  am,  Polly,"  said  Phronsie,  snuggling 
up  closer  than  ever,  "  very  much  afraid." 

"  Mamsie  said  we  weren't  to  be  afraid  at 
things,  but  to  see  what  they  were,  so  I'm  going 
to."  Polly  ran  across  the  old  kitchen,  Phron- 
sie hanging  to  her. 

"Why,  David  Pepper!"  cried  Polly,  nearly 
tumbling  over  him  as  she  ran  around  Mother 
Pepper's  big  chair.  Then  she  turned  very 
white. 

"  What  is  it,  Davie  ?  Oh,  where  are  you 
hurt  ?  "  she  asked,  while  Phronsie  with  a  little 
wail,  threw  her  arms  around  him,  too. 

"  I'm  not  hurt,"  sobbed  David.  "  O  dear, 
dear!" 

"Not  hurt!"  gasped  Polly,  hanging  to  the 
chair. 

"  I've  been  a  bad  boy,"  cried  David  in  a 
spasm  of  grief,  and  holding  to  the  old  cushion 
with  desperate  little  hands. 

"  Oh,  never,  Davie,"  exclaimed  Polly,  "  you 
couldn't  be  ever  in  all  this  world.  Why,  you 
are  our  Davie." 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  151 

At  this  Davie's  despair  was  greater  than 
ever,  and  he  burrowed  his  face  deeper  in  the 
old  chair. 

"  You  see,  Davie,"  Polly  ran  on,  "  Mamsie 
trusts  you,  so  you  couldn't  be  bad."  Phronsie 
meanwhile  had  sunk  to  the  floor,  and  was 
silently  gazing  at  the  misery,  lost  to  everything 
else.  "  No,  you  couldn't  be  bad,  because  Mam- 
sie trusts  you  so,"  she  repeated. 

This  was  so  much  worse  that  David  began 
to  scream,  and  without  any  more  words,  Polly 
lifted  him  up  and  sitting  down  in  Mamsie's 
chair,  she  held  him  tightly  in  her  lap. 

"  Now,  David  Pepper,"  she  said  sternly, 
"  you've  just  got  to  tell  me  what  you've  done." 

"I  —  I  — can't,"  David  hid  his  wet  little 
face  on  her  shoulder. 

"  Mamsie  tells  us  not  to  say  '  can't/  "  said 
Polly  decidedly.  "  Begin  and  tell  me." 

"  She  —  told  —  me  — "  began  David  in  a 
shaking  voice. 

"Mrs.  Henderson?" 

David  bobbed  his  head. 

"  Go  on." 

"  She  —  told  —  me  —  to  — " 

"  Yes." 


152  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  To  dust  —  the  —  books  —  and  — " 

"  Well,  go  on." 

" And  I  didn't  —  O  dear!" 

"  And  you  disobeyed  dear  Mrs.  Henderson ! 
Oh,  David  Pepper,  how  could  you ! "  Polly 
turned  very  white  again,  and  cold  little  shivers 
ran  up  and  down  her  back.  To  think  that  the 
parsonage  people  should  ever  have  one  of  the 
Pepper  children  disobey  them! 

When  Polly  said,  "  David  Pepper,  how  could 
you !  "  it  wasn't  to  be  lightly  borne.  So  now 
Davie  raised  such  a  despairing  little  face  that 
Polly  hastened  to  say,  "  Well,  you  must  tell  me 
all  about  it." 

"  There  was  a  boy  in  the  book  — " 

"What  boy?"  said  Polly,  very  much 
puzzled. 

"  I  was  going  to  dust  him,  and  the  other 
books." 

"  Oh,  you  mean  you  were  going  to  dust  the 
books,"  said  Polly,  beginning  to  see  a  little 
light. 

"  Yes,"  said  David,  trying  to  keep  back  the 
sobs. 

"  Well,  stop  crying  and  tell  me  all  about  it  — 
every  single  thing."  Polly  gathered  him  up 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  153 

more  closely.  "  Now  then,  Davie,  you  began 
to  dust  the  boy." 

"No,  I  didn't/'  said  Davie  in  a  fresh 
anguish ;  "  I  didn't  dust  him  a  bit ;  not  once, 
Polly  — O  dear!" 

"Why?"  asked  Polly. 

"  He  had  a  slate  and  pencil,  and  —  and  — 
he  was  going  to  school,"  said  Davie  in  another 
outburst  of  grief. 

"Oh,  I  see,"  said  Polly  with  more  light, 
"and  you  wanted  to  read  about  him?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  Davie;  "  it  told  all  about 
him." 

ft  Well,  why  didn't  you  dust  the  books  just 
as  Mrs.  Henderson  told  you?  It  didn't  take 
long,  I'm  sure,  to  find  out  about  that  boy." 

"  I  wanted  to  see  if  other  boys  were  going  to 
school,  and  had  slates  and  pencils  —  O  dear !  " 
he  sobbed. 

"  Well,  now  I  guess  I  know  all  about  it," 
said  Polly.  "  Phronsie,  you  must  stop  cry- 
ing," for  Phronsie  was  softly  wailing  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  Mamsie's  old  chair.  "  You 
forgot  about  dusting  the  books,  Davie?  " 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  Davie.  "  O  dear !  "  and 
he  burrowed  further  than  ever  in  her  arms. 


154  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Well,  that  was  bad,"  said  Polly,  "  when 
she  told  you  to  do  it.  But  it's  worse  to  cry 
about  it  now  —  because  crying  doesn't  help  it 
any.  Well,  now,  is  there  anything  else  to  tell 
me?" 

"  Peletiah  came  up  in  the  attic,  and  told  me 
to  come  down  to  dinner.  And  Mrs.  Hender- 
son called  me  and  — " 

"  And  you  didn't  go  ?  "  cried  Polly  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"  No,  I  couldn't  have  any  dinner,  I'd  been 
bad  —  and  I  ran  home." 

"  O  dear  —  dear !  "  exclaimed  Polly  in  great 
distress.  To  have  one  of  the  children  lacking 
in  politeness  was  a  terrible  thing,  and  here  was 
a  blow  that  quite  unnerved  her.  When  David 
saw  that,  he  was  quite  overcome,  and  he  cried 
on  steadily. 

"  Something  must  be  done,"  thought  Polly. 
"  O  dear,  if  Mamsie  were  only  here." 

"  David,"  she  said,  "  you  must  go  straight 
back  to  the  parsonage,  and  beg  Mrs.  Hender- 
son to  forgive  you." 

David  shrank  into  a  little  heap.  "  Oh,  I 
can't  do  that,  Polly;  she'll  make  me  stay  to 
dinner." 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  155 

"  That  would  never  do,"  said  Polly. 

So  she  hopped  out  of  the  big  chair  and  set 
him  on  his  feet.  "  I'll  get  you  something  to 
eat,  and  then  you  can  tell  her  you  have  been  to 
dinner  if  she  asks  you."  And  presently  David 
was  seated  before  the  old  table,  and  eating,  as 
well  as  he  could  for  his  tears,  a  cold  potato  well 
sprinkled  with  salt  and  a  generous  slice  of 
brown  bread. 

But  he  didn't  get  to  the  parsonage  after  all, 
for  just  as  he  was  swallowing  the  last  mouth- 
ful, in  walked  the  parson's  wife. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  over  to-morrow, 
Davie,"  she  said,  just  as  if  nothing  in  the  world 
a  bit  unpleasant  had  happened,  "  and  you  and  I 
will  work  in  the  attic." 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Henderson,  Davie  has  some- 
thing he  wants  to  say  to  you,"  Polly  began  in 
a  trembling  voice. 

David  got  out  of  his  chair  and  went  over  on 
unsteady  feet  to  her. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  be  bad,"  he  said,  his  poor 
swollen  little  face  working  dreadfully. 

"  I  know,  dear,"  said  the  parson's  wife, 
bending  over  him  sympathetically,  and  stroking 
the  soft,  wavy  hair  with  a  kind  hand. 


156  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  But  it  was  bad/'  said  Polly,  "  for  him  to 
forget,  and  not  obey  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Henderson. 

"And  I'm  sorry,"  said  Davie,  his  hands 
twisting  together. 

"  And  you'll  come  to-morrow,  and  help  me, 
and  that  will  show  that  you  are  sorry,"  said  the 
parson's  wife. 

"  I'll  go  to-morrow,"  said  David,  with  a 
crooked  little  smile. 

"  And  Peletiah  and  Ezekiel  are  going  away 
to  their  grandmother's  again  to-morrow,"  said 
Mrs.  Henderson,  "  just  as  they  did  to-day. 
So,  you  see,  I  shall  need  you  very  much,  Davie." 

"  Now,  how  in  the  world  can  I  find  any  one 
to  take  Mrs.  Pepper's  place  nursing  Miss  Bab- 
bitt?" The  parson's  wife  puckered  up  her 
forehead  all  the  way  down  the  road  with  anx- 
ious thought.  "If  here  doesn't  come  Dr. 
Fisher !  "  as  the  old  gig  swung  into  view  at  the 
turn  of  the  road. 

Dr.  Fisher  pulled  up  suddenly.  But  she 
didn't  wait  for  the  old  horse  to  stop.  "  Dr. 
Fisher,"  she  began,  hurrying  up  to  the  side  of 
the  gig,  "  can't  we  find  some  one  to  take  Mrs. 
Pepper's  place  over  at  Miss  Babbitt's  ?  " 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  157 

Dr.  Fisher  looked  out  at  her  gloomily.  "  I'd 
give  a  good  deal  if  we  could,"  he  said.  "  That 
idiot  of  a  Bunce  woman  —  she  was  there  when 
Miss  Babbitt  fell  down  the  cellar  stairs,  and 
she  began  to  scream  for  Mrs.  Pepper.  And 
she  rushed  out  —  the  Bunce  woman  —  and 
caught  Mr.  Tisbett  going  by  on  the  stage,  and 
sent  him  for  Mrs.  Pepper.  And  now  Mrs. 
Pepper  won't  desert  Miss  Babbitt."  He 
switched  the  whip  gloomily  from  side  to  side, 
his  face  getting  more  and  more  sober  every 
moment. 

"But  she  must  desert  Miss  Babbitt,"  de- 
clared the  parson's  wife  frantically. 

"  You  know  Mrs.  Pepper  will  never  desert 
any  one  in  trouble."  The  little  doctor  slapped 
the  whip  into  its  socket  and  glared  at  her 
through  his  big  horn  spectacles. 

"  There's  Polly  doing  her  best  to  keep  things 
together,"  cried  Mrs.  Henderson ;  "  'twould  go 
to  your  heart,  Dr.  Fisher,  to  see  her !  " 

"  It's  gone  to  my  heart  a  good  many  times," 
said  the  little  doctor,  relapsing  into  gloom 
again,  "to  see  her.  But  what  can  we  do? 
There  isn't  a  woman  fit  to  take  care  of  Miss 
Babbitt,  who'd  be  willing  to  go." 


158  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  There's  Mary  Pote,"  said  the  parson's  wife 
suddenly  with  a  brightening  face. 

"  Mary  Pote  ?  —  well,  Miss  Parrott  owns 
her,  soul  and  body."  Dr.  Fisher  set  his  big 
spectacles  straighter  on  his  nose  and  glared  at 
the  parson's  wife  worse  than  ever. 

"  'Twouldn't  do  any  harm  to  try,"  said  Mrs. 
Henderson.  "  Maybe  Miss  Parrott  would  let 
her  go." 

The  little  doctor  sniffed  scornfully.  "  Well, 
will  you  try?  " 

Mrs.  Henderson  looked  off  to  the  distant 
fields,  an  awful  feeling  at  her  heart.  Then  she 
swallowed  hard.  "  Yes,  I  will,"  she  said,  "  if 
I  can  get  over  to  Miss  Parrott's." 

"No  trouble  about  that''  cried  little  Dr. 
Fisher  joyfully.  "  Hop  right  in,  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson," and  before  her  resolution  had  time  to 
cool,  there  she  was  in  the  doctor's  gig  and  well 
along  on  the  way  to  the  estate  of  the  aristo- 
cratic Miss  Parrott. 

When  the  gig  turned  into  the  handsome 
stone  gateway,  the  parson's  wife  had  all  she 
could  do  to  keep  from  jumping  out  over  the 
wheel.  Suppose  she  should  anger  the  only  rich 
parishioner  of  her  husband's!  But  she  was 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  159 

there  on  the  big  stone  steps,  and  the  butler  was 
opening  the  heavy  oaken  door.  There  was 
nothing  to  do  but  to  go  in,  Dr.  Fisher  driving 
off  to  call  for  her  later.  And  presently  she  was 
ushered  into  the  long  drawing-room,  with  its 
rich  carpeting,  its  ancestral  furniture  and  por- 
traits, all  shrouded  in  the  gloom  of  an  apart- 
ment little  used,  and  left  to  her  wildly  beating 
heart  for  the  only  sound  to  entertain  her. 

And  there  presently  broke  in  the  rustle  of  a 
stiff  black  silk  gown  advancing  toward  her, 
and  in  the  gloom  she  saw  the  tall  and  haughty 
figure  of  the  rich  Miss  Parrott. 

How  she  told  her  story,  she  never  could  re- 
member, but  it  was  all  out  at  last.  And  Miss 
Parrott  sat  erect,  without  uttering  a  word  until 
the  parson's  wife  thought  as  she  told  her  hus- 
band that  night,  "  I  should  go  through  the 
floor." 

At  last  Miss  Parrott  broke  the  silence. 
"  It's  those  little  brown  house  people  you  want 
to  help?" 

;<  Yes/'  said  Mrs.  Henderson,  unable  to  get 
out  another  word. 

"  And  you  want  me  to  let  Mary  Pote  go  to 
take  care  of  Miss  Babbitt?  " 


160          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Yes,"  said  the  parson's  wife  faintly,  "  at 
least  till  they  can  get  Miss  Babbitt's  niece  to 
come." 

"  Urn  — "  There  wasn't  another  sound  in 
the  room  except  the  wild  beating  of  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson's heart,  until  Miss  Parrott  got  her  long 
figure  out  of  the  high-backed  chair,  and  the 
stiff  black  silk  gown  rustled  over  to  the  bell- 
cord. 

"  Send  Mary  Pote  to  me,"  said  Miss  Parrott 
to  the  stiff  old  butler  who  appeared. 

And  again  there  was  silence  in  the  long 
gloomy  drawing-room.  Mrs.  Henderson 
couldn't  tell,  for  the  life  of  her,  whether  or  no 
she  had  harmed  her  husband's  interests,  per- 
haps driven  him  from  Badgertown  parish.  At 
last  in  came  Mary  Pote,  a  round,  roly-poly  per- 
son, half  seamstress  —  half  dressmaker,  solely 
devoted  to  the  spinster's  interests,  who  lived  in 
a  small  cottage  on  the  Parrott  estate.  Who- 
ever thought  of  asking  for  Mary  Pote's  serv- 
ices! 

"  Mary  Pote,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  "  you  may 
get  your  bonnet,  and  pack  your  bag.  You  are 
to  go  to  take  care  of  some  tiresome  old  person 


MARY  POTE  HELPS  161 

who  had  nothing  better  to  do  than  to  fall  down 
the  cellar  stairs  and  break  her  hip." 

"  But  I  was  making  over  your  black  batiste, 
Miss  Parrott,"  began  Mary  Pote  with  the 
privilege  of  an  old  servant. 

"  When  I  want  my  black  batiste  finished,  I 
will  tell  you  so,  Mary  Pote.  Do  as  I  bid  you. 
Oh,  one  thing  more.  You  are  going  so  that  a 
Mrs.  Pepper  —  she's  the  mother  of  some  chil- 
dren living  in  a  poor  old  brown  house  in 
Badgertown  — " 

"  I  know  them,"  said  Mary  Pote,  turning 
back. 

"Don't  interrupt  me  —  well,  their  mother 
has  gone  to  take  care  of  that  odious  old  Miss 
Babbitt,  and  you  are  to  take  her  place." 

"  Now  I'm  glad  enough  to  go,"  cried  Mary 
Pote  joyfully,  "  for  that  Mrs.  Pepper  of  all 
folks  is  the  best  woman,  and  — " 

"  There,  there,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  waving 
her  off  with  long  fingers  on  which  ancestral 
rings  shone.  "  Get  along,  Mary  Pote,  and  do 
as  I  say.  One  thing  more  —  tell  Simmons  to 
get  the  brougham  ready  and  drive  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson and  you  down  there." 


162  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

The  parson's  wife  got  out  of  her  chair. 
"  Dr.  Fisher  brought  me,  and  he  will  take  me 
back,"  she  said. 

Miss  Parrott  waved  her  back  with  the  long 
fingers. 

"  I  know  nothing  about  how  you  got  here," 
she  said ;  "  it  doesn't  interest  me  in  the  least. 
I  am  taking  charge  of  the  case  now,  and  not 
Dr.  Fisher,  nor  anybody  else." 


CHAPTER  XI 
"  I'D  TRY  TO  LEARN  " 


,  David,  it's  your  turn."  Mr.  At- 
kins  leaned  both  hands  on  the  counter. 
"What  did  you  want?" 

"  Three  pounds  of  Indian  meal,  if  you 
please." 

"  That's  easy  got,  an'  it's  fresh  an'  sweet." 
The  storekeeper  went  over  to  the  big  box  in  the 
corner.  "  Thought  I  never  should  get  round 
to  wait  on  you.  Beats  all  how  some  women 
trade.  That  Miss  Pride  'ud  finger  everything 
in  the  place,  an*  finally  buy  a  lemon.  Well, 
here  you  be  !  "  He  twisted  up  the  paper  bag 
with  an  extra  twirl  and  handed  it  over  the 
counter.  "  Well  now,  how's  things  over  to  the 
little  brown  house  ?  " 

David  reached  up  with  a  shaking  hand  for 
the  paper  bag. 

Mr.  Atkins  picked  up  the  knife  and  cut  off  a 
163 


164  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

snip  from  the  big  yellow  cheese,  and  began  to 
chew  it.  "  He's  too  little,"  he  said  to  himself; 
"  no,  I've  got  to  find  some  other  way  to  help 
'em.  Hem!  well — "  and  he  cut  off  another 
snip,  "  I  s'pose  Polly  finds  it  pretty  easy  to  keep 
the  little  brown  house  goin'  these  days,  don't 
she?" 

David's  face  turned  quite  white.  If  he  could 
only  forget  how  he  had  run  out  that  very 
morning  to  get  the  kindlings  behind  the  wood- 
pile, and  Ben  and  Polly  were  talking! 

"  It's  every  bit,"  said  Ben,  turning  his  old 
leather  purse  upside  down,  "  ten  cents,  Polly." 

"  O  dear  —  dear !  What  shall  we  do,  Ben  ? 
The  potatoes  are  'most  gone  and  everything  is 
so  much  worse !  " 

"  Don't  feel  so  bad,  Polly.  Things  will  get 
better,  I  guess,"  said  Ben. 

And  then  Davie,  peering  around  the  wood- 
pile, saw  him  pat  Polly's  shoulder. 

"  Ben,"  said  Polly,  and  she  threw  her  arms 
around  his  neck,  "  we  must  think  up  some  more 
ways  to  help  Mamsie.  We  must,  Ben." 

Ben  held  Polly  closely,  but  he  said  nothing, 
for  he  couldn't  for  his  life  think  of  a  word  of 
comfort,  and  his  face  worked  dreadfully. 


"  I'D  TRY  TO  LEARN  "          165 

"  O  dear  me ! "  cried  Polly  in  dismay  when 
she  saw  that ;  "  don't  look  so,  Ben.  And  you 
mustn't  feel  bad." 

"  Polly,"  said  Ben,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
"  we'll  both  think  hard,  and  meantime,  you  and 
I  mustn't  stop  our  work.  We  ought  to  be  at  it 
this  very  minute." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Polly,  breaking  away  from 
him,  "  and  Mamsie  told  me  to  send  Davie  down 
to  the  store  for  some  Indian  meal." 

At  that  Davie  ducked  behind  the  wood-pile, 
and  then  ran  after  Polly  into  the  little  brown 
house.  And  now  here  he  was  in  all  his  misery, 
standing  before  the  counter,  with  Mr.  Atkins 
asking  this  dreadful  question ! 

"  Hem !  "  said  the  storekeeper  again.  See- 
ing Davie's  face,  he  couldn't  keep  eating  cheese 
all  day,  so  he  threw  down  the  knife,  and  before 
he  knew  it,  he  was  saying,  "  How  would  you 
like  to  come  here  an'  help  me  keep  store  a  little 
while  every  now  and  then  ?  " 

Davie's  blue  eyes  flew  open  at  their  widest, 
and  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  hang  to  the  paper 
bag  of  Indian  meal. 

"  You  could  set  here  an'  watch  things,"  Mr. 
Atkins  ran  on,  surprised  to  find  how  very  much 


166  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

he  needed  a  small  boy  for  that  very  thing,  that 
hadn't  occurred  to  him  before.  "An*  then 
when  I  want  to  go  to  dinner,  I'd  admire  to  have 
th'  store  kep'  open."  At  last  he  stopped  sud- 
denly. "  What  d'ye  say,  Davie  ?  " 

Davie  found  his  voice  after  swallowing  very 
hard. 

"  Could  I  really  help  you,  Mr.  Atkins?  "  he 
burst  out,  standing  on  his  tiptoes,  the  very  idea 
making  him  quite  tall. 

"Sure!"  declared  the  storekeeper,  slapping 
his  thigh.  "  Beats  all  why  I  didn't  think  of  it 
before.  Well,  what  d'ye  say,  David?  " 

The  color  rushed  all  over  David's  face  till  it 
became  rosy  red.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Atkins,"  and  he 
dropped  the  bag,  "  can  I  come  here  and  help 
keep  the  store  ?  "  and  he  clasped  his  hands. 

"  That's  what  I  been  a-sayin'  to  you,"  cried 
the  storekeeper,  his  pale  green  eyes  sparkling. 

"Can  I  really?" 

"  Sure  as  shootin' —  I'd  like  it  first  rate. 
You'd  be  an  awful  help.  You  see,  you  could 
find  out  what  folks  wanted,  an'  come  an'  call 
me  when  I'm  in  th'  house."  Mr.  Atkins 
pointed  his  big  thumb  over  to  the  door  that  shut 
off  the  place  where  he  ate  and  slept. 


"  FD  TRY  TO  LEARN  "          167 

"  Yes/'  cried  Davie,  eagerly,  "  I  could,  Mr. 
Atkins." 

"  An'  then  you  —  you  could  hand  me  th' 
string  when  I  wanted  to  tie  up  th'  bundles." 

"  Yes,  I  could." 

"  An'  then,"  said  Mr.  Atkins,  casting  about 
in  his  mind  for  the  other  things  that  now 
loomed  up  as  most  important  in  which  he  was 
to  be  helped,  "  why  then,  you  could  hand  me  th' 
paper." 

"Yes,"  said  Davie,  "  an'  couldn't  I  some- 
times tie  up  bundles,  Mr.  Atkins  ?  "  he  asked 
anxiously. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  could,"  cried 
Mr.  Atkins;  "you're  so  smart,  Davie  Pepper, 
you'd  learn  real  easy,"  and  he  slapped  his  thigh 
again. 

"  I'd  try  to  learn,"  cried  David  in  a  glow, 
"and  then  I  could  help  you,  couldn't  I,  Mr. 
Atkins,  keep  store  when  I  could  tie  up 
bundles?" 

"  You'd  help  me  splendid  before  you  learn 
to  tie  up  bundles,"  declared  Mr.  Atkins  just  as 
excited,  "  just  bein'  here  an'  waitin'  on  me." 

"  And  I'm  going  to  learn  to  tie  up  bundles," 
cried  David  in  a  transport.  Then  he  looked 


i68  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

down  at  the  paper  bag  of  Indian  meal  at  his 
feet,  and  he  hung  his  head.  "  I'm  so  sorry," 
he  faltered.  Oh,  now  Mr.  Atkins  wouldn't 
want  him,  of  course.  A  boy  who  dropped 
bundles  all  over  the  place  wasn't  to  be  trusted ; 
and  this  splendid  chance  to  help  Mamsie  was 
gone. 

"  'Tain't  such  a  dreadful  thing  to  do,"  ob- 
served the  storekeeper,  leaning  his  long  figure 
over  the  counter  to  take  note  of  the  trouble. 
"  I  dropped  bundles  when  I  was  a  boy,  Davie." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  said  David,  greatly  relieved 
that  a  boy  who  grew  up  to  be  such  a  smart  man 
as  the  village  storekeeper  did  such  a  thing; 
and  he  picked  up  the  paper  bag  with  hope  once 
more  springing  in  his  heart. 

"Sure!"  declared  Mr.  Atkins,  "I  was  a 
great  deal  bigger  than  you  be." 

"How  much  bigger,  Mr.  Atkins?"  asked 
David,  clutching  his  bag. 

"  Oh,  I  guess  'most  a  foot  taller,"  said  Mr. 
Atkins,  scratching  his  head,  "  an'  once  I 
dropped  a  'lasses  jug." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Atkins !  "  exclaimed  David,  quite 
overwhelmed. 


"  I'D  TRY  TO  LEARN  "          169 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  the  storekeeper,  delighted 
to  see  the  comfort  this  revelation  gave.  "  An' 
'twas  in  th'  dusty  road.  Just  think  of  that, 
David  Pepper ! " 

"  Can  I  help  fill  molasses  jugs  when  people 
want  them?"  asked  Davie  suddenly.  If  that 
could  ever  be  allowed,  his  happiness  would  be 
complete  indeed. 

Mr.  Atkins  whirled  around.  "  Well  — 
p'raps,"  he  began  slowly.  Then  he  saw 
David's  face.  "  Now  I  shouldn't  wonder  ef 
you  could  before  long  learn  to  fill  them  jugs. 
An'  that  would  be  a  most  dreadful  help,  David, 
for  it's  slow  work  as  stock  still,  I  tell  you. 
Now  run  along  an'  ask  your  ma  ef  you  can 
come  an'  help  me  in  th'  store  a  little  now  and 
then.  You  never  must  go  into  anythin',  you 
know,  without  askin'  her." 

"  An'  ef  ever  I  see  a  boy  run,"  reported  Mr. 
Atkins  that  day  at  dinner  to  his  wife,  "  'twas 
Davie  Pepper,  Ma;  when  I  said  that,  his  legs 
jest  twinkled."  And  the  storekeeper  sat  back 
in  his  chair  to  laugh.  He  even  forgot  to  ask 
for  a  second  helping  of  pie. 

"Mamsie!"     Davie  sprang  into  the  little 


170  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

brown  house,  swinging  his  bag  of  Indian  meal, 
nearly  upsetting  Phronsie  coming  to  meet  him, 
Seraphina  upside  down  in  her  arms. 

"  Goodness  me,  Davie !  "  exclaimed  Polly, 
coming  out  of  the  provision-room,  the  tin  pail 
of  bread  in  her  hand,  "  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Where's  Mamsie  ?  "  cried  Davie,  his  blue 
eyes  shining,  and  turning  a  very  red  face  on 
her. 

"  She's  gone  to  Grandma  Bascom's,"  said 
Polly,  dropping  the  pail  to  seize  his  little  calico 
blouse,  "  and  do  give  me  that  bag,  Davie." 

Davie  gave  up  the  bag  and  tore  himself  away 
from  Polly's  hold.  "  I  must  ask  Mamsie,"  he 
shouted,  running  to  the  door. 

"My  senses!"  cried  Polly,  "what  is  the 
matter  ?  "  She  wanted  to  rub  her  eyes  to  see  if 
it  really  was  Davie  who  stood  before  her. 
"  Wait !  Mamsie's  coming  home  in  a  few  min- 
utes. Why,  here  she  is  now !  "  glancing  out 
of  the  window. 

David  sprang  out.  "  Oh,  Mamsie,"  he  pre- 
cipitated himself  upon  Mother  Pepper  half  way 
up  the  path.  "  He  wants  me  to  help  him,  and 
I'm  going  to  learn  to  tie  up  bundles,  and  he 


"  I'D  TRY  TO  LEARN  "          171 

said  he  thought  some  time  I  could  fill  molasses 
jugs,  if  you'd  say  yes.  Can't  I,  Mamsie?  " 

"  Dear  me ! "  Mrs.  Pepper  held  him  by 
both  little  shoulders.  "  What  is  it  all  about, 
Davie?  No,  no,  don't  try  to  speak  now/'  she 
added,  seeing  his  face.  "  Come  in  and  tell 
Mother." 

And  pretty  soon,  over  by  her  big  old  calico- 
covered  rocker,  the  story  got  out,  Polly  hang- 
ing over  them  both,  and  Phronsie,  who  had 
dropped  Seraphina  on  the  way,  leaning,  per- 
fectly absorbed,  against  Mother  Pepper's  knee. 

"  To  think  of  my  boy  being  wanted  to  help 
Mr.  Atkins ! "  cried  Mrs.  Pepper  with  shining 
eyes.  "Oh,  Davie!" 

"  Can  I  —  can  I  ?  "  cried  David,  feeling  as 
if  he  couldn't  wait  another  minute  for  the 
"  yes  "  that  all  his  hopes  were  hanging  upon. 

"Can  you?  Yes,  yes,  Davie."  Mrs.  Pep- 
per gathered  him  up  into  her  lap.  "  Oh,  what 
a  help  you'll  be  to  Mother,  if  you  are  a  good 
boy  and  learn  to  do  everything  in  the  store  that 
Mr.  Atkins  tells  you !  " 

Polly  ran  down  the  road  a  good  piece  to  meet 
Ben  when  he  came  home  from  Deacon  Blod- 


172  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

gett's.  Joel  had  scampered  on  ahead. 
"  Where  are  you  going?  "  he  had  screamed  as 
Polly  flew  past. 

"  Going  to  walk  home  with  Ben,"  she  had 
shouted,  flying  along. 

"  My  goodness,  Polly,"  cried  Ben,  as  she 
rushed  up  to  him,  "  is  the  house  afire  ?  " 

"  Mercy  no ! "  Polly  gasped  for  breath. 
"  You  can't  think,"  she  panted. 

"  Hold  on !  "  Ben  pounded  her  on  the  back. 
"  You're  going  like  a  steam  engine,  Polly." 

"  Well,  I  feel  like  a  steam  engine,"  said 
Polly,  with  another  gasp.  "  Oh,  Ben,  you  — 
can't  ever  guess  —  what's  happened." 

"  Come  on  over  here."  Ben  dragged  her  off 
to  the  stone  wall.  "  There  now,  tell  me  all 
about  it." 

"  Well,  in  the  first  place,"  said  Polly,  sitting 
down  on  the  wall,  Ben  by  her  side,  and  draw- 
ing a  long  breath,  "  I  don't  ever  mean  to  be  so 
bad  as  I  was  this  morning,  Ben." 

She  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap,  and  a  sor- 
rowful little  look  came  into  her  brown  eyes. 

"  You  weren't  bad,"  contradicted  Ben 
stoutly;  "and  anyway,  if  you  were,  I  was 


worse." 


"I'D  TRY  TO  LEARN"          173 

"  Oh,  no,  Ben,"  said  Polly  quickly ;  "  you  are 
never  as  bad  as  I  am,  and  you  always  see  some- 
thing better  ahead/' 

"Indeed  I  don't,  Polly/'  declared  Ben, 
"  you're  the  one  to  pretend  that  things  are  good, 
and  you  have  such  splendid  plans.  I  never  can 
think  of  anything.  Well,  anyway,  tell  what's 
happened  at  home." 

"  Ben,"  said  Polly,  suddenly  lifting  her  face, 
the  color  rushing  all  over  it,  "  just  when  the 
potatoes  are  all  gone,  and  there  isn't  much 
bread  in  the  pail,  what  do  you  think  —  you 
can't  guess,  so  I'll  tell  you.  Mr.  Atkins  has 
asked  Davie  to  come  now  and  then  to  help  him 
in  his  store." 

"  Not  our  Davie ! "  exclaimed  Ben,  nearly 
tumbling  off  the  stone  wall ;  "  why,  he's  too 
little.  You  must  be  dreaming,  Polly." 

"  Indeed  I'm  not  dreaming,"  declared  Polly 
indignantly ;  "  and  Davie  wouldn't  ever  say 
things  that  aren't  so.  You  know  that,  Ben 
Pepper." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Ben  —  but  he  looked 
very  puzzled. 

"  And  anyway,  even  if  we  don't  understand 
it,"  said  Polly  wisely,  "  why  it's  so.  And  just 


174  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

think  what  a  help  to  Mamsie.-  And  it's  come 
when  I  was  so  bad  this  very  morning." 

"  You  weren't  bad,"  declared  Ben  again. 
And  there  they  had  it  all  over  again. 

"  But  you  will  be  —  we  shall  both  be,"  he 
wound  up  with  a  laugh,  "  if  we  sit  here  on  this 
stone  wall  much  longer." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Polly,  with  a  little  laugh, 
and  hopping  off  from  the  wall,  they  both  ran 
off,  hand  in  hand,  down  the  road  to  the  little 
brown  house. 

When  they  got  there  everything  was  in  a 
truly  dreadful  state.  There  lay  Joel,  face 
down  on  the  floor,  crying  as  if  his  heart  would 
break.  "  I  want  to  go  to  help  in  the  store," 
he  screamed  over  and  over,  till  nobody  else  had 
a  chance  to  be  heard.  David  was  hanging  over 
him  in  the  greatest  distress,  saying,  "  I  won't 
go,  Joey  —  you  may  go,  Joey." 

Mrs.  Pepper  shook  her  head,  and  said 
quietly,  "  Oh,  yes,  Davie,  you  must  go ;  you 
have  promised  Mr.  Atkins." 

"  I  want  to  tie  up  bundles,"  screamed  Joel, 
kicking  his  heels  on  the  floor.  "  O  dear  — 
dear  —  boo  —  hoo  —  hoo !  " 

"  Perhaps,"  Davie  ran  over  to  Mother  Pep- 


"  FD  TRY  TO  LEARN  "          175 

per's  chair,  "  Mr.  Atkins  would  let  Joey  come 
and  help  him  instead  of  me,"  he  said. 

"  No,  Davie,"  said  Mother  Pepper,  shaking 
her  head  worse  than  ever,  "  Mr.  Atkins  asked 
you,  and  you  have  promised.  Always  remem- 
ber a  promise  once  given  must  be  kept,"  and 
she  patted  his  flushed  cheek.  "  Joel,  come 
here !  "  It  was  impossible  for  Joel  to  stay  on 
the  floor  kicking  his  heels  and  screaming  when 
Mamsie  spoke  in  that  tone,  so  he  got  up  and 
drew  slowly  near  to  her,  digging  his  knuckles 
into  his  streaming  eyes. 

"  Davie  couldn't  ask  Mr.  Atkins  to  let  you 
take  his  place,  even  if  he  hadn't  promised,  for 
you  are  so  much  bigger  than  Davie,  that  he  isn't 
strong  enough  to  help  Ben  pile  wood  as  you  do. 
Why,  you  are  my  big  boy,  Joey !  "  She  patted 
his  stubby  black  hair  affectionately. 

"  So  I  am,"  said  Joel,  as  if  a  wholly  new 
idea  had  struck  him,  and  wiping  off  the  last 
tear  on  the  back  of  his  little  brown  hand. 
"  You  see,  I  couldn't  go,  Dave,  instead  of  you, 
to  help  Mr.  Atkins  in  the  store,  for  I  am  so 
much  bigger  than  you,  and  I've  got  to  pile 
wood  and  help  Mamsie." 

Davie  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief. 


176          OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  So  you  have/'  he  said.  Then  he  laughed 
gleefully. 

"  And  I'm  so  hungry/'  announced  Joel,  the 
matter  all  settled  now  comfortably.  "  O  dear, 
isn't  dinner  ready?  " 

"  Yes/'  said  Polly,  running  over  to  the  stove, 
"  and  we've  got  mush  to-day  —  Indian  meal 
mush  —  just  think.  Do  get  the  molasses 
pitcher,  Ben ! " 

"  No,  let  me,"  begged  Davie,  all  aglow  with 
the  delightful  visions  of  molasses  jugs  being 
filled  by  his  hands  from  the  big  barrel  in  Mr. 
Atkins'  store. 

"  So  you  may,  Davie/'  said  Polly,  putting 
the  big  dish  of  mush  on  the  table. 


CHAPTER  XII 
HOP  O'  MY  THUMB 


,  David,  ef  you  warn't  here,"  said 
Mr.  Atkins,  "I  couldn't  go  off  this 
morning." 

"  Couldn't  you,  Mr.  Atkins  ?  "  said  David 
happily,  over  in  the  corner  dusting  the  cans  of 
peas  and  beans  piled  on  the  shelves,  and  he 
whirled  around,  the  dust-cloth  in  his  hand. 

"  No,  never  in  all  this  world,"  the  store- 
keeper smote  his  hands  together  smartly. 
"  Now  you  see,  Davie,  what  a  help  you  be  to 
me." 

"  I'm  so  glad  I'm  a  help  to  you,  Mr.  Atkins," 
cried  Davie,  the  color  all  over  his  face,  and  his 
heart  going  like  a  trip-hammer. 

"  I've  got  to  go  over  to  Simon  Beeton's 

farm  to  see  about  them  potatoes,"  said  Mr. 

Atkins,  "  for  he'd  cheat  me  out  of  my  eye-teeth 

ef  I  bought  'em  without  seein'.     An'  now  I 

177 


i;8  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

can  leave  so  easy  in  my  mind,  Davie,  seein'  you 
are  here." 

Davie's  bosom  swelled,  and  he  stood  quite 
still.  Oh,  how  glad  Mamsie  will  be!  And 
how  good  it  was  that  Mr.  Atkins'  eye-teeth 
were  now  not  in  any  danger. 

"  An'  you  can  take  th'  orders,  David,"  said 
Mr.  Atkins,  hurrying  over  to  the  counter  to 
pick  up  the  slate ;  "  you  can  write  so  nice  an' 
plain  now,  that  I'll  know  all  what  folks  want 
when  I  get  back." 

David  longed  to  ask,  "  Can't  I  give  'em  the 
things  they  want  ?  "  But  Mother  Pepper  had 
told  him  the  first  morning  that  he  went  to  the 
grocery  store,  not  to  ask  Mr.  Atkins  if  he 
might  do  anything,  but  to  wait  to  be  told. 

"  An'  sometime  —  maybe  the  next  time  I  go 
tradin',  you  may  wait  on  th'  customers,"  said 
Mr.  Atkins  encouragingly,  "  so  you  must  learn 
all  you  can,  David." 

David  smothered  a  sigh,  but  he  stood  quite 
tall.  "  I'll  do  everything  I  can,  Mr.  Atkins," 
he  said. 

"  That's  right,  an'  ef  anythin'  extry  comes 
up,  you  run  into  th'  house  for  Mis  Atkins." 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  promised  David,  feeling  sure 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  179 

that  he  would  understand  if  he  gave  his  whole 
mind  to  it. 

"  Well,  I  must  be  off,"  cried  the  storekeeper 
with  an  eye  to  the  old  clock  on  the  shelf  above 
the  cans  of  peas  and  beans,  and  the  door 
slammed  as  he  hurried  into  the  house. 

David  stood  still  to  draw  a  long  breath  and 
look  around.  He  was  actually  left  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Atkins'  store ! 

For  just  one  minute  he  couldn't  believe  it, 
then  the  joyful  truth  rushed  over  him.  He 
wanted  to  run  over  and  practise  writing  on  the 
slate  just  as  he  had  been  doing  every  day  when 
there  wasn't  anything  that  Mr.  Atkins  set  as  a 
task.  But  now  to-day  it  was  different. 

"  You  dust  down  them  shelves,  Davie,"  the 
storekeeper  had  said  that  very  morning,  "  they 
look  mortal  bad,  an'  old  Mis  Shaw  kept  starin' 
'em  all  over  yest'day,  an'  she  looked  '  shif'less,' 
though  she  didn't  say  it,  all  th'  time  she  was 
in  the  store.  An'  I'm  afraid  she'll  think  every- 
thin's  dusty,  jest  because  I  hain't  had  no  time 
to  move  them  pesky  cans." 

So  as  dusting  the  shelves  was  the  task  set 
for  him  now,  why  he  must  keep  at  it.  And 
David  turned  his  back  on  the  beloved  slate 


180  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

lying  on  the  counter  with  the  slate-pencil  dang- 
ling off  by  its  string. 

"  If  I  could  only  have  a  slate  all  my  own," 
said  David  to  himself,  as  he  began  again  on  the 
lower  shelf,  patiently  chasing  every  bit  of  dust 
from  it,  and  moving  each  tin  can  carefully  to 
one  side.  "  Perhaps  I  will,  some  time."  He 
had  finished  that  shelf  and  looked  up  to  the 
next  one.  "  I  must  get  the  step-ladder,"  he 
said,  "  for  Mr.  Atkins  told  me  to  dust  'em  all." 

And  presently  he  was  mounted  up  there, 
dust-cloth  in  hand,  when  a  voice  back  of  him 
called,  "Hello  — Hello,  there!" 

David  whirled  around  on  his  step-ladder. 

"Where's  Mr.  Atkins?"  cried  a  farmer, 
whip  in  hand,  advancing  into  the  store. 

"  He's  gone  to  buy  potatoes,"  said  David. 

"Well,  who's  in  charge  o'  th'  store?"  de- 
manded the  man. 

"  Mr.  Atkins  told  me  to  put  down  on  the 
slate  what  people  asked  for,"  said  David.  He 
wanted  dreadfully  to  say  that  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  store,  but  Mr.  Atkins  hadn't  said  that. 

"Oh  —  ho !  "  roared  the  farmer,  throwing 
back  his  head  to  laugh.  "  Well,  that  is  a  good 
one  —  a  little  Hop  o'  my  Thumb  like  you. 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  181 

Ho  —  Ho!"  David's  cheeks  got  very  hot, 
and  his  small  legs  trembled  under  him,  as  he 
got  down  from  the  step-ladder,  laying  his  dust- 
cloth  on  the  top  step,  and  went  over  to  the 
counter. 

"  Mr.  Atkins  told  me  to  write  down  what  the 
folks  wanted,"  he  repeated,  picking  up  the 
slate. 

The  farmer  stopped  laughing  and  drew  up 
to  the  counter,  looking  at  him  curiously. 

"  You  tell  Atkins  I've  got  apples  as  good  as 
th'  next  one,  an'  I  want  he  should  give  me  some 
money  for  ?em." 

David  drew  the  slate  pencil  up  into  his 
fingers.  O  dear  —  what  was  he  to  write! 
This  wasn't  anything  to  do  with  orders ;  but  the 
farmer's  cold  eyes  were  on  him,  and  he  was 
just  getting  ready  to  laugh  again,  so  some- 
thing must  be  done. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  he  asked,  raising  his 
blue  eyes. 

"  Jones  —  Simeon  Jones,"  said  the  farmer, 
his  big  mouth  twitching  under  his  heavy  beard, 
as  he  looked  down  at  the  small  figure. 

David  began  with  a  beating  heart ;  but  as  he 
went  on  he  forgot  all  about  the  farmer,  think- 


182  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ing  only  of  Mamsie.  He  mustn't  break  down, 
for  if  he  did,  he  would  get  no  more  chance  to 
keep  store  for  Mr.  Atkins. 

"Let's  see  what  you've  ben  writin',"  Mr. 
Jones  slouched  over  the  slate,  as  Davie  laid  it 
on  the  counter.  "  Thunder,  that  ain't  th'  way 
to  put  it." 

"  You  said  you  wanted  some  money,"  said 
Davie,  standing  his  ground;  but  his  legs 
trembled  all  the  same. 

Mr.  Simeon  Jones  held  up  the  slate  and 
squinted  at  the  crooked  letters,  having  hard 
work  to  keep  from  running  into  each  other. 
"  Mr.  Jones  wants  you  to  give  him  sum  munny 
for  his  appuls." 

"I  ain't  a-beggin',"  he  said,  "an'  besides, 
he  hain't  bought  th'  apples  yet.  I  want  him  to 
buy  'em  an'  pay  me  cash  down."  He  slapped 
the  counter  with  his  heavy  whip,  then  tucked  it 
under  his  arm. 

David  reached  over  and  got  the  little  sponge 
that  had  wandered  off  by  itself,  the  store- 
keeper declaring  it  got  in  the  way  when  it 
dangled  on  the  string  alongside  the  slate  pen- 
cil. Then  he  rubbed  out  everything  but  "  Mr. 
Jones,"  and  began  again,  the  big  farmer  lean- 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  183 

ing  against  the  counter  to  watch  the  work 
go  on. 

"  Mr.  Jones  wants  munny  for  his  appuls." 

"  No  —  no,"  roared  Mr.  Simeon  Jones  in 
such  a  tone  that  David,  clinging  to  the  slate 
pencil,  jumped  in  dismay.  "  I  tell  you  he  hain't 
bought  'em  yit.  Here,  give  me  that  ere  slate 
an'  I'll  write  it  myself." 

"  No  —  no,"  said  David,  clutching  slate  and 
pencil  and  all,  and  backing  off  to  the  end  of 
the  counter.  "  Mr.  Atkins  said  I  was  to  write 
it."  He  was  in  mortal  terror  that  the  farmer's 
big  hand,  now  raised,  would  seize  his  last 
chance  of  ever  being  put  in  trust  again  in  the 
store. 

But  Mr.  Simeon  Jones,  not  really  being 
armed  and  equipped  for  much  writing,  either 
on  a  slate  or  on  anything  else,  decided  that  he 
didn't  care  to  undertake  any  job  along  that 
line ;  so  his  big  hand  dropped. 

"  Well,  you  write  it  as  I  tell  you,"  he  com- 
manded gruffly,  "  or  you  won't  get  no  jobs  in 
this  store,  when  I  tell  Atkins." 

Which  being  exactly  what  David  was  terri- 
fied about,  he  began  once  more :  "  Mr.  Jones 
wants  you  to  bi  his  appuls  —  and  — " 


184  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Pay  him  cash,"  shouted  the  farmer  over 
David's  shoulder. 

"  Pay  him  Kash,"  finished  David,  the  pencil 
trembling  in  fear  of  more  messages  to  follow. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  quite  molli- 
fied ;  "  it'll  clinch  the  business."  Then  he  drew 
off  and  looked  at  David  tucking  the  slate  in  its 
place  on  the  counter.  "  Say  —  did  you  mind 
when  I  laughed  at  you  ?  " 

David  wanted  dreadfully  to  stand  up  like  a 
man  and  say  "  No,"  but  Mother  Pepper  had 
said,  "  always  tell  the  truth." 

"  Yes,"  he  said  slowly,  "  I  did." 

"  Thunderation !  "  exploded  the  farmer,  and 
a  dull  red  crept  up  into  his  swarthy  cheek ;  one 
of  his  big  hands  went  into  his  pocket.  "  There, 
I  ain't  a-goin'  to  laugh  at  you  no  more,"  and  he 
held  out  a  coin.  "  You're  a  real  smart  boy  ef 
you  ain't  any  bigger'n  a  pint  o'  cider.  There's 
a  dime  for  ye." 

David  jumped  back  as  if  shot,  and  put  his 
hands  behind  him. 

"  Take  it,"  urged  Mr.  Simeon  Jones,  pushing 
the  dime  nearer. 

"  Mamsie  wouldn't  like  it,"  was  all  that 
Davie  could  manage  to  say. 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  185 

"  Mamsie  —  who's  him  ?  "  demanded  the 
farmer. 

"  She's  our  mother,"  said  Davie,  keeping  his 
hands  behind  him. 

"  Saltpeter !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Simeon  Jones ; 
"  well  then  I  s'pose  you  can't  take  this  'ere 
dime,  ef  she  wouldn't  like  it,  eh  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  David,  quite  happy  that  he  was 
at  last  understood. 

"  Well,  I  shall  tell  Atkins  you've  done  fust 
rate,"  said  the  farmer,  slouching  to  the  door. 
Then  he  went  out  with  another  curious  look  at 
David,  got  into  his  big  wagon  and  drove  off. 

Davie  went  back  to  the  step-ladder,  climbed 
up  and  wiped  all  the  shelves.  He  wanted  to 
sing,  but  that  wasn't  the  way,  he  was  quite  sure, 
to  keep  a  grocery  store.  So  he  shut  his  lips 
tightly  together,  but  his  blue  eyes  shone  as  the 
dust  cloth  went  busily  on  its  way  into  all  the 
corners.  At  last  it  was  all  done,  and  every  one 
of  the  tin  cans  of  peas  and  beans  in  neat  rows 
were  in  their  places.  Then  he  got  down  from 
the  step-ladder  and  gazed  at  them  all  in  great 
delight. 

"  Now  I  can  practise  my  writing  on  the 
slate,"  he  cried  joyfully.  And  scampering 


i86  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

over  to  a  barrel  of  sugar  standing  by  the  coun- 
ter, he  got  on  it,  slate  in  hand,  and  fell  to 
laboriously  forming  all  the  best  letters  that 
Polly  had  showed  him  how  to  make. 

"  I  must  be  careful  not  to  rub  out  '  Mr. 
Jones/  "  he  said.  So  he  laid  a  paper  lying  on 
the  counter  ready  for  a  bundle  to  be  tied  up, 
between  the  farmer's  message  and  his  knees, 
and  presently  he  was  lost  to  all  but  the  blissful 
prospect  of  some  time  being  able  to  write  things 
as  beautifully  as  Polly  herself. 

The  first  thing  he  knew  the  door  to  the  gro- 
cery store  was  slowly  opened,  and  Da  vie  lifted 
his  head. 

A  young  man  stepped  softly  in.  He  wasn't 
the  kind  that  was  seen  around  Badgertown,  and 
Davie  didn't  like  his  looks  in  the  least. 

"  Well,  old  man,"  said  the  newcomer,  draw- 
ing near  to  David's  barrel  and  looking  him  all 
over  with  a  pair  of  evil  eyes,  "  where' s  the 
boss?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  David. 

"  Why,  the  boss  who  runs  this  store,"  the 
young  man  flirted  a  pair  of  long  and  grimy 
fingers  comprehensively. 

"  He  isn't  here,"  said  David,  not  taking  his 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  187 

blue  eyes  from  the  face  that  now  he  liked  less 
than  ever. 

"  And  he's  left  you  to  take  charge  of  the  she- 
bang?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  that  is,"  said  David. 

"  The  store  —  the  store,"  the  visitor  cried 
impatiently,  and  threw  his  dirty  fingers  about 
more  recklessly  than  ever.  Then  he  snapped 
them  in  David's  face. 

"  He  told  me  to  write  things  that  folks  asked 
for  on  the  slate,"  said  David. 

The  young  man  broke  into  a  laugh  as  much 
more  unpleasant  than  that  of  Mr.  Simeon  Jones 
as  could  be  imagined.  Then  he  broke  off  sud- 
denly to  listen.  "  Somebody  might  be  pass- 
ing," he  muttered.  "  See  here,  old  man,  there 
wasn't  any  need  for  you  to  tell  me  about  your 
boss.  I  saw  him  drive  away  and  I  was  coming 
in  then  to  pay  you  a  call ;  thought  you  might  be 
lonesome,"  and  he  chuckled  under  his  breath; 
"then  that  other  old  party  hove  along,  so  I 
couldn't  get  here  till  now.  Look  here ! "  It 
was  impossible  for  Davie  to  obey  this  com- 
mand any  better,  for  he  had  never  taken  his 
blue  eyes  from  the  face,  now  just  above  him, 
as  he  sat  on  the  barrel,  slate  in  hand. 


i88  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  ain't  going  to  have  any  fooling/'  the 
young  man  was  saying  between  his  teeth,  and 
he  raised  one  hand  threateningly.  "  I'll  tell 
you  that  to  begin  with  —  I've  come  here  for 
money.  You  can't  help  yourself,  for  the  boss 
is  away." 

He  put  both  dirty  hands  on  the  counter  and 
vaulting  over  it,  twitched  open  the  drawer  to 
rummage  in  the  till. 

Davie  sprang  down  from  his  barrel.  "  You 
mustn't  do  that,"  he  screamed,  "that's  Mr. 
Atkins*  money." 

"  You  shut  your  gab."  The  young  man,  one 
fist  full  of  silver  pieces  and  pennies,  raised  his 
head,  his  wicked  eyes  sparkling  in  anger. 

"You  mustn't  take  it!  It's  Mr.  Atkins' 
money !  "  David,  his  heart  going  like  every- 
thing, beat  on  the  counter  with  one  small  hand. 
Oh,  if  some  customer  would  only  come  in! 

"  See  here  —  you'll  get  the  worst  beating 
you  ever  had,"  declared  the  young  man,  "  if 
you  don't  hold  your  tongue."  He  hissed  out 
the  last  words  and  bent  over  the  till  again. 

David,  in  mortal  terror  that  whatever  he  did, 
he  couldn't  keep  Mr.  Atkins'  money  from  being 
carried  of,  cast  another  imploring  glance  at  the 


'HE   TOLD    ME   TO    WRITE   THINGS    THAT   KOLKS   ASKED   FOR   ON    THE 
SLATE,"    SAID   DAVID.—  .PflTfe   187. 


HOP  OJ  MY  THUMB  189 

door  for  a  possible  customer.  No  one  was  in 
sight,  Badgertown  street  in  front  of  the  store 
being  free  from  all  pedestrians,  and  there 
wasn't  a  wagon  to  be  seen.  Then  Mr.  Atkins' 
words  flashed  upon  him,  "If  any  thin'  extry 
comes  up,  you  run  into  the  house  for  Mis  At- 
kins." 

This  was  certainly  "  somethin'  extry,"  and  it 
was  quite  time  to  run  into  the  house  and  call 
Mrs.  Atkins.  He  made  one  leap  for  the  little 
door  that  shut  off  the  storekeeper's  home,  and 
the  first  thing  he  knew,  he  was  seized  violently 
from  behind  and  thrown  in  a  heap  to  the 
floor. 

David  could  not  hear  the  words  —  he  only 
knew  that  the  awful  eyes  were  glaring  at  him, 
and  he  shut  his  own  so  that  he  could  not  see, 
as  the  young  man  hissed  out  something.  At 
last  he  made  out,  "  No,  you  don't,  my  fine  sir. 
I'll  attend  to  you  before  I  go."  Then  he 
was  dragged  off  to  a  corner,  thrown  behind 
some  bags  of  oats,  and  tied  fast  to  a  rope 
hanging  from  the  neck  of  one.  "  I  guess  you 
won't  run  much  with  one  of  them  bags  at  your 
heels,"  and  the  young  man  surveyed  his  work 
with  a  grin. 


190  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Da — vid!"  rang  out  the  voice  of  Mrs. 
Atkins.  "  Where  are  you  ?  " 

The  young  man  on  his  way  back  to  the  till 
started  and  pricked  up  his  ears. 

"Oh,— -she'll  be  killed!"  David  screamed. 
"  Don't  come  in !  "  The  little  door  was  flung 
wide,  and  Mrs.  Atkins,  all  in  a  hurry  as  dinner 
was  waiting,  got  herself  into  the  store  just  in 
time  to  see  a  tall  figure  flying  past  and  out  into 
Badgertown  street. 

"  My  sakes ! "  she  ejaculated.  Then  she 
gave  a  wild  look  around.  "  David,  where  be 
ye?" 

"  Here/'  said  David,  behind  the  bags  of  oats. 
"  Oh,  Mrs.  Atkins,  did  he  take  any?  " 

"For  th'  land  sakes  —  David  Pepper!" 
The  storekeeper's  wife  knelt  down  by  his  side. 
When  she  saw  the  rope  she  was  quite  over- 
come, and  she  fumbled  helplessly  at  the  knots. 

"  Did  he  —  did  he  ?  "  implored  Davie  in 
great  distress,  "  take  any  of  Mr.  Atkins' 
money  ?  " 

"  Money?  "  Mrs.  Atkins  hopped  to  her  feet 
in  great  alarm,  and  scuttled  over  to  get  behind 
the  counter.  "  My  soul  an'  body ! "  she  ex- 
claimed, pawing  among  the  loose  dimes  and 


HOP  O'  MY  THUMB  191 

nickels  and  pennies  dropped  by  the  young  man 
when  he  sprang  for  David. 

"  Did  he?  "  implored  Davie.  "  Oh,  do  tell 
me,  Mrs.  Atkins  —  did  he  take  any  money  ?  " 

"  It  looks  as  if  he'd  ben  interrupted."  The 
storekeeper's  wife  drew  a  long  sigh  of  relief, 
as  she  settled  the  coins  back  into  the  till,  and 
slammed  to  the  drawer.  "  I  don't  b'lieve  he 
got  a  single  cent,  David  Pepper,"  she  said, 
coming  back  to  him. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad,"  said  Davie. 

"  An'  now  I'll  untie  you,"  she  said,  getting 
down  on  her  knees.  (t  My  gracious !  "  and  she 
shook  with  fright,  "  sech  a  risk  as  you've 
run!" 

"  I'm  so  glad  he  didn't  get  any  money," 
breathed  Davie  blissfully. 

"  An'  you've  saved  it,"  Mrs.  Atkins,  getting 
the  last  knot  out,  threw  the  end  of  the  ropes 
off,  "  just  think  of  that,  David  Pepper !  " 

David's  blue  eyes  shone.  "  I  wish  I  could 
have  kept  him,"  he  said,  as  he  got  up  to  his 
feet. 

"  Land !  —  don't  say  that  —  youVe  done 
splendid ! "  said  Mrs.  Atkins,  and  she  shivered 
as  she  got  up. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  " 

"V/f  RS.  ATKINS  ran  to  the  door.  "  Beats 
*•*•*•  all  how  a  man  ain't  never  on  hand  when 
he's  wanted,"  she  exclaimed  in  vexation,  peer- 
ing up  and  down  the  street. 

"  Well,  now,  ef  here  ain't  Mr.  Jones  heavin' 
along/'  she  cried  joyfully,  and  picking  up  her 
calico  gown,  she  sped  over  the  step,  bawling 
out,  "  Do  stop  —  Mr.  Jones !  " 

"  What's  th'  matter,  Mis  Atkins?  "  asked  the 
farmer  leisurely  driving  up. 

"I'll  tell  you,  only  do  get  out/'  she  cried 
excitedly. 

"  Hain't  nothin'  happened  to  that  little  feller, 
has  they?"  the  farmer  pointed  his  thumb  in 
great  concern  toward  the  store. 

"  No  —  no  —  but  ef  it  hadn't  ben  for  Davie, 
Mr.  Atkins  would  V  ben  robbed,"  declared 
Mrs.  Atkins ;  then  she  thrust  her  head  back  into 
192 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  193 

the  store,  "  Davie,  come  here,  an'  tell  us  all 
about  it.  We  must  catch  th'  man,  or  he'll  try  it 
again,  like  enough." 

"  Sho !  "  exclaimed  Farmer  Jones,  as  Davie 
ran  out  to  the  step.  Then  he  whistled, 
"  Whew!  Hop  o'  my  Thumb,"  he  was  going 
to  say.  But  remembering  how  the  small  boy 
hadn't  liked  that,  nor  the  laugh,  he  whistled 
again,  as  he  got  slowly  out  of  the  wagon. 

"  Tell  it,  Davie,"  Mrs.  Atkins  kept  saying, 
"  just  exactly  how  it  all  happened."  And  then 
a  small  knot  of  farmers  drew  near,  so  there  was 
quite  a  little  crowd. 

As  Davie  forgot  to  say  much  about  him- 
self, Mrs.  Atkins  and  Farmer  Jones  were 
obliged  to  prod  him  with  questions.  At  last 
the  story  was  pieced  out. 

"  We  must  catch  the  fellow,"  exclaimed  one 
farmer,  "else  he'll  be  trying  the  same  game 
again." 

"Like  enough  we'll  be  murdered  in  our 
beds,"  said  a  woman,  pushing  her  way  into 
the  center  of  things,  "  an'  't won't  be  safe  to 
live  in  Badgertown." 

And  a  thin  voice  on  the  fringe  of  the  crowd 
piped  out,  "  I  warrant  it's  the  same  man  that 


194  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

stopped  to  my  house  this  mornin'  for  somethin' 
to  eat." 

"What  did  he  look  like,  Grandsir  Tibbs?" 
cried  two  or  three. 

"  I  dunno  no  more'n  th'  dead,"  said  Grandsir 
querulously.  His  voice  shook  worse  than  ever, 
under  the  excitement  of  the  thing.  "  His  cap 
was  drawed  over  his  face  —  I  shet  th'  door  on 
him." 

"  Well,  we've  got  to  catch  th'  feller,"  de- 
clared a  stalwart  farmer,  "  an'  this  boy,"  laying 
his  hand  on  David's  small  shoulder,  "  is  th' 
only  one  who  knows  what  th'  tramp  looks  like. 
Come  on,  youngster,"  and  before  he  knew  what 
was  going  to  happen,  Davie  was  lifted  up  and 
dumped  into  a  wagon,  the  owner  jumping  in 
and  gathering  up  the  reins. 

"  Stop! "  cried  the  storekeeper's  wife,  when 
she  saw  this,  trying  to  break  through  the 
crowd. 

"Catch  th'  feller —  come  on — "  the  cry 
was  taken  up,  and  the  other  farmers  in  the 
wagons  drove  off  after  the  one  carrying  Davie, 
Mrs.  Atkins  running  along  as  far  as  her  breath 
would  permit,  crying,  "  Stop  —  you  mustn't  — 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  195 

take  th'  boy !  He's  David  Pepper,"  and  some- 
times she  said,  "  He's  Mis  Pepper's  boy."  But 
no  matter  how  she  screamed  it,  the  wagons 
rolled  on,  and  at  last  she  sank  down  by  the 
roadside. 

'•'  He'd  take  to  th'  woods  mos'  likely,"  said 
the  farmer  who  had  David  as  a  companion  and 
thus  was  the  leader,  pointing  off  with  his  whip 
as  he  stood  up  in  the  wagon  and  looked  back  at 
the  procession. 

"  Yes  —  yes,"  they  called  back.  So  to  the 
woods  they  whipped  up. 

When  they  drew  up  to  a  thick  grove  of  pines 
skirting  Badgertown,  they  all  tumbled  out  of 
the  wagons  and  peered  cautiously  in. 

"  One  of  us  must  set  out  here  with  th'  boy  — 
we  ain't  a-goin'  to  drag  him  in." 

"  I'll  set,"  offered  one  man,  coming  up  to 
Davie's  wagon. 

"  Yes,  I  know  you'd  offer,"  said  the  farmer 
to  whom  that  vehicle  belonged,  "  but  all  th' 
same,  you  ain't  a-goin'  to  have  that  easy  part. 
Simeon  Jones  —  you  come  an*  take  keer  o'  this 
boy,  will  you,  till  we  fetch  out  th'  feller?  " 

"  All  right,"  said  Farmer  Jones,  driving  up. 


196  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Come,  git  in  here ;  "  he  again  came  perilously 
near  to  saying  "  Hop  o'  my  Thumb,"  but  he 
coughed  and  just  saved  himself. 

David,  being  in  that  position  where  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  obey,  jumped  out  of 
his  wagon  and  into  that  of  Farmer  Jones,  who 
received  him  gladly. 

"  Sho  now !  "  began  Mr.  Jones,  clearing  his 
throat,  "  th'  tramp  robbed  Mr.  Atkins  —  eh?  " 

"  He  didn't  get  any  money/'  said  David, 
folding  his  small  hands. 

"  That's  good !  "  cried  Farmer  Jones,  slap- 
ping his  leg.  "  Well,  I  'spect  you  kept  him 
from  it,"  he  said,  looking  down  admiringly  at 
the  little  figure  on  the  other  half  of  the  old 
leather  seat.  "  Gosh !  You  ain't  bigger'n  a 
half  a  pint  o'  cider,  but  I  b'lieve  you  did  it  — 
eh?" 

David  fought  shy  of  this  question  and  said 
nothing.  But  it  was  no  use.  By  little  and 
little,  Farmer  Jones,  being  a  man  who,  to  put 
it  into  his  own  words,  "  stuck  to  a  thing  like 
an  old  dog  to  a  bone,"  wormed  the  story  out 
of  David,  helplessly  miserable  at  being  obliged 
to  tell  it. 

Suddenly  the  body  of  Badgertown  citizens 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  197 

trooped  out  from  the  woods.  In  the  midst  of 
them  was  the  young  man  with  the  evil  eyes, 
who  had  visited  Mr.  Atkins'  store. 

Everybody  was  shouting  in  chorus,  and 
Farmer  Jones  clapped  Davie's  shoulder  with  a 
glad  hand.  "  Say,  youngster,  that's  th'  feller, 
ain't  it?" 

David  drew  a  long  breath.  But  Mamsie, 
having  often  said,  "  Tell  the  truth,"  he  said, 
"  Yes."  And  one  of  the  young  farmers,  find- 
ing the  capture  a  trifle  dull,  crowded  roughly 
up  against  the  prisoner.  This  was  the  signal 
for  the  others,  who  began  to  wreak  a  little  of 
the  vengeance  to  come  upon  their  man. 

David  stood  straight  up  in  the  wagon. 
"  Don't  hurt  him/'  he  begged. 

The  young  man  with  the  evil  eyes  turned 
them  upon  Davie ;  but  he  said  nothing. 

"  Easy  there/'  commanded  Farmer  Jones. 

"  We  don't  want  such  fellers  comin'  to 
Badgertown,"  said  the  first  young  farmer. 
"  Come  on,  boys,  we  must  give  him  a  hustle 
before  we  fetch  him  to  Cherryville  jail." 

"You  mustn't  hurt  him,"  said  Davie  in  a 
loud  voice.  His  cheeks  were  very  red,  and  his 
blue  eyes  flashed. 


198  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  What  this  boy  says,  goes,"  cried  Farmer 
Jones  sharply.  "  D'ye  understand  ?  " 

They  did,  Simeon  Jones  being  a  person  to  be 
reckoned  with.  And  pretty  soon  the  young 
man  who  had  visited  Mr.  Atkins'  store  had  his 
hands  neatly  tied  together  with  a  piece  of  rope, 
and  he  found  himself  in  a  wagon,  the  horse 
being  turned  to  the  road  leading  to  Cherryville 
jail. 

"You  tell  that  boy,"  he  nodded  his  head 
over  toward  David,  "  that  'tain't  his  fault  that 
I'm  took,  an*  I'm  obliged  to  him  for  trying  to 
save  me." 

But  David  burst  into  tears  and  flung  him- 
self down  on  the  floor  of  the  wagon. 

"  I've  got  to  hurry  back  and  lock  up  th' 
store,"  Mrs.  Atkins  was  saying  about  this  time, 
getting  up  from  the  roadside,  "  an'  then  I  must 
get  over  to  Mis  Pepper's  an'  tell  her  all  about 
it.  Goodness  me  —  how'll  I  ever  do  it  ?  " 

But  Mother  Pepper  had  the  news  before  the 
storekeeper's  wife  reached  the  little  brown 
house,  for  Davie  was  there.  Farmer  Simeon 
Jones,  aghast  at  the  flood  of  tears,  had  hur- 
ried him  home  as  fast  as  the  old  horse  could  go. 

"  Your  Ma'll  say  you  done  right,"  he  kept 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  199 

repeating  over  and  over.  "  Don't  you  be 
a f card.  An'  th'  man  ain't  goin'  to  be  hurt. 
An'  they  give  real  good  meals,  I've  heard  say, 
over  to  Cherryville  jail." 

But  all  this  was  no  comfort  to  David,  and  he 
wailed  steadily  on. 

"  Well,  I'm  blest  ef  I  ain't  glad  to  see  that 
'ere  little  brown  house,"  declared  Mr.  Jones, 
very  spry  at  getting  out  as  the  old  horse 
stopped  at  the  gate.  David,  half  blinded  by 
his  tears,  stumbled  out  and  up  to  the  big  green 
door.  Mother  Pepper  opened  it.  "  I  couldn't 
help  it,  Mamsie,"  he  cried,  huddling  into  her 
arms. 

"  I'll  tell  ye,  Marm,"  said  Farmer  Jones, 
looking  into  her  black  eyes,  "  fust  go-off,  so's 
you  needn't  to  worry.  This  boy  o'  yourn  has 
done  just  fine." 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,  Mamsie,"  Davie  kept 
saying. 

"  There  —  there  —  Davie  — "  Mother  Pep- 
per held  him  closely,  while  one  hand  patted  his 
soft  light  hair;  then  she  looked  up  inquiringly. 

"  Simeon  Jones  is  my  name,  Marm,"  said  the 
farmer.  "  Might  I  come  in  —  it's  kinder  a 
long  story." 


200  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Yes,  indeed/'  and  once  in  the  old  kitchen, 
the  farmer's  tongue  took  up  the  tale  and  ran  it 
off  glibly.  And  just  at  the  very  end  in  hur- 
ried the  storekeeper's  wife. 

"  Now,  Davie,"  said  Mother  Pepper,  when 
at  last  it  was  all  out,  "  you  did  just  right/' 
How  her  black  eyes  shone !  And  she  kissed  his 
hot  cheek. 

"  But  the  poor  man  —  he's  in  jail,"  moaned 
David. 

"  That  had  to  be,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  firmly. 
"  Don't  you  see,  child,  if  he  were  allowed  to  go 
free,  Badgertown  people  wouldn't  be  safe  from 
robbers." 

"  Mamsie,  I  don't  believe  he's  going  to  steal 
any  more,"  said  David,  wiping  up,  the  com- 
fort settling  down  into  his  heart,  since  Mamsie 
had  said  it  had  to  be. 

"  We  will  hope  not,"  said  Mother  Pepper, 
with  another  kiss. 

"Hoh,!'*  Joel  rushed  in,  his  black  eyes 
ablaze  and  his  cheeks  as  red  as  could  be.  He 
had  heard  the  story  at  Deacon  Blodgett's,  for 
all  Badgertown  was  afire  with  it.  "If  I'd  been 
there,  I'd  'a'  smashed  that  old  burglar."  He 


"DON'T  HURT  HIM"  201 

doubled  up  his  small  fists  and  swung  them  in 
the  air. 

"Joel  —  Joel — "  said  Mrs.  Pepper  reprov- 
ingly. 

"  Ha !  Ha !  "  laughed  Farmer  Jones,  slap- 
ping his  thigh. 

Joel  rushed  up  to  him.  "  Well,  I  would," 
he  cried.  "  You  needn't  laugh,  you,  Mr. 
Man/' 

"Joel,  come  here."  When  Mother  Pepper 
spoke  in  that  tone  there  could  be  no  delay. 
So  up  to  her  chair  he  marched,  yet  he  had  a 
backward  eye  on  that  old  farmer  who  sat  in 
that  chair  laughing  at  him. 

"  You're  pretty  smart,  Joel,"  said  the  store- 
keeper's wife,  "  but  Davie  did  the  best  after 
all." 

"  But  I  could  'a'  smashed  him,"  declared 
Joel,  transferring  his  attention  to  her,  "  if  I'd 
only  been  there.  Why  ain't  I  ever  there  when 
a  burglar  comes,"  he  cried  in  anguish.  "  Why 
ain't  I,  Mamsie?" 

"  Well,  I  must  be  a-goin',"  said  Farmer 
Jones,  getting  out  of  his  chair.  "  You've  got 
two  smart  likely  boys,  Mis  Pepper,  but  the  lit- 


202  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

tie  un  is  the  most  to  my  taste.  Ef  you're  goin* 
home,  Mis  Atkins,  I'll  take  you  back." 

"  I'm  obliged  enough,  I  can  tell  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Atkins,  "  for  I  hain't  run  an'  ben  scared 
to  death  in  a  long  spell  like  I've  ben  to-day . 
Good-by,  David.  You've  took  care  of  our 
store  every  bit  as  good  as  a  man." 

Davie  kept  in  the  little  brown  house  for  days 
after  that;  nothing  could  persuade  him  to  ven- 
ture on  Badgertown  streets,  where  the  folks 
were  likely  to  waylay  him,  and  want  to  know 
all  about  his  adventure  in  Mr.  Atkins'  store. 
And  when  any  one  came  to  the  little  brown 
house,  as  many  did,  to  hear  all  about  it,  Davie 
would  run  out  and  hide  behind  the  wood-pile 
until  they  had  gone. 

"You  can't  do  that  all  the  time,  Davie," 
said  Polly  one  day,  finding  him  there.  "  I'm 
going  down  to  Mr.  Beebe  to  get  him  to  mend 
Mamsie's  shoes,  and  you  come  with  me." 

"  Oh,  I  can't,  Polly,"  said  Davie,  shrinking 
back ;  yet  his  blue  eyes  were  full  of  longing. 

"  Nonsense ! "  exclaimed  Polly  gayly. 
"  Come  along,  I'll  race  you  to  the  gate." 

That  was  beyond  Davie's  resistance.  To 
race  Polly  was  the  children's  great  delight. 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  203 

So  off  they  ran,  and  as  luck  would  have  it, 
David  got  to  the  gate  first. 

"  That's  fine !  "  declared  Polly,  tossing  back 
her  hair  from  her  rosy  cheeks.  "  Well,  now, 
come  on  for  another  spin." 

They  had  almost  reached  Mr.  Beebe's  little 
shop  when  an  old  lady  coming  out  of  a  shop 
opposite  beckoned  violently  with  her  black  satin 
parasol.  The  long  fringe  waved  back  and 
forth  as  she  shook  the  parasol  with  an  air  of 
command. 

"  It  is  Miss  Parrott,"  said  Polly  in  an  awe- 
struck voice.  "  You  go  in  to  Mr.  Beebe's  shop 
and  I'll  run  across  to  her." 

Davie,  quite  glad  to  escape  and  especially 
into  dear  Mr.  Beebe's  shoe  shop,  hurried  over 
the  cobble-stones,  while  Polly  flew  across  the 
street.  His  foot  was  on  the  step,  when  a  voice 
said :  "  Bring  the  boy  —  he's  the  one  I  want 
to  see." 

"  You  will  have  to  come,  Davie,"  said  Polly, 
hurrying  back. 

"  Oh,  I  can't,"  said  Davie,  crowding  up 
against  the  shoe-shop  door ;  "  don't  make  me, 
Polly."  He  turned  a  distressed  little  face  as 
she  hurried  up. 


204  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Yes,  you  must/'  said  Polly.  "  Mamsie 
would  say  so/* 

"  Would  Mamsie  say  so  ? "  cried  Davie, 
hanging  to  the  big  knocker.  "  Would  she 
really,  Polly?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  "  she  would.  Come  on, 
Davie,"  and  she  held  out  her  hand.  So  to- 
gether they  went  across  the  narrow  little  street, 
David  hanging  back  on  lagging  footsteps. 

Miss  Parrott's  big  coach  was  around  the 
corner.  There  she  stood  now,  waiting  for 
them. 

"  I  want  to  hear  all  about  what  happened 
yesterday  in  Mr.  Atkins'  store,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  am  going  to  take  you  two  children  to 
drive,  and  then,  David,  you  can  tell  me  the 
story  on  the  way." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Parrott,"  cried  Polly,  dismayed 
at  Davie's  frantic  clutch  on  her  hand,  "  I  have 
to  take  Mamsie's  shoes  for  Mr.  Beebe  to 
mend."  Yet  her  eyes  sparkled  at  the  very 
thought  of  riding  in  that  Parrott  grand  coach ! 

"  Run  across  then  with  them,"  said  Miss 
Parrott.  "  Come,  David,  you  and  I  will  get 
into  the  carriage,  and  Polly  will  join  us." 

"I'll  take  the  shoes  over  to  Mr.  Beebe," 


"  DON'T  HURT  HIM  "  205 

cried  Davie  frantically,  and  he  reached  for 
Polly's  bundle. 

"No,  David,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  "Polly 
must  do  it.  You  come  with  me."  And  there 
he  was,  his  little  hand  in  hers,  on  the  way  to  the 
coach  waiting  around  the  corner,  and  Polly 
flying  across  the  street  to  the  little  shoe-shop 
just  as  frantic  to  get  back  to  him. 

"  Now  then,  we  can  be  quite  comfortable," 
said  Miss  Parrott,  having  them  all  settled  in 
the  big  stately  old  coach,  the  order  to  drive 
given  to  the  coachman,  who  matched  up  in 
dignity  to  the  coach  and  the  Parrott  estate, 
""and  you  shall  give  me  the  whole  story.  Be- 
gin at  the  beginning,  David." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM 

MISS  PARROTT  looked  the  two  children 
over  carefully.  Then  her  glance  rested 
on  David.  He  sat  tucked  up  in  the  corner  of 
the  green-leather  seat,  as  far  away  from  the 
keen  dark  eyes  as  he  could  get,  his  hand  tightly 
clasped  in  Polly's. 

"  Now  then,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  the  investi- 
gation being  over,  "  you  must  tell  me  every- 
thing about  it.  I  was  unable  to  get  a  satis- 
factory account  at  Atkins'  store.  Begin,  lit- 
tle boy." 

Davie  gave  a  sob,  and  ducked  farther  back 
into  his  corner.  This  was  so  much  worse  than 
being  waylaid  for  a  recital  of  his  adventure  by 
the  ordinary  run  of  Badgertown  citizens,  that 
he  couldn't  conceal  his  dismay.  To  think  of 
being  fastened  up  in  the  Parrott  coach  and 
made  to  tell  of  what  was  now  a  perfectly  hate- 
206 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM   207 

ful  thing  since  he  was  to  be  petted  and  praised 
for  his  part  in  it,  made  him  sob  again ;  and  he 
flung  himself  up  against  Polly  and  hid  his 
burning  face  on  her  shoulder. 

"Oh,  Miss  Parrott,"  Polly  broke  out, 
"  Davie  cannot  bear  to  talk  about  it.  He  only 
did  what  he  ought  to."  She  forgot  that  she 
was  talking  to  the  aristocratic  lady,  whose  com- 
ings and  goings  in  this  same  stately  coach  to 
the  little  church  on  Badgertown  green  were 
eagerly  watched  for  of  a  Sunday.  She  raised 
her  brown  eyes  pleadingly. 

"  That  is  where  you  are  very  wrong  to  en- 
courage your  little  brother  in  refusing  to  an- 
swer my  questions.  And  I  must  insist  on 
knowing  all  about  what  happened."  The  tall 
aristocratic  figure  on  the  seat  opposite  loomed 
up  so  forbiddingly  that  Polly  had  all  she  could 
do  to  keep  from  joining  in  Davie's  distress. 
But  this  would  never  do.  Besides,  Miss  Par- 
rott was  saying,  "  I  am  sure  your  mother, 
whom  I  have  heard  brings  you  children  up 
most  excellently,  would  wish  your  little  brother 
to  answer  my  questions." 

"  Davie,"  said  Polly  desperately,  bending  her 
head  down  to  his  ear,  "  you  must  sit  up  and 


208  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

tell  Miss  Parrott  about  it.  Mamsie  would 
want  you  to." 

She  had  to  say  it  over  three  times,  "  Mamsie 
would  want  you  to,"  for  instead  of  sitting  up, 
Davie  burrowed  deeper  against  her  shoulder. 
At  last  her  tone  was  so  decided,  that  anything 
being  more  desirable  than  to  lose  Polly's  ap- 
proval, David  somehow  got  up  into  a  sitting 
posture;  and  before  he  quite  knew  what  he  was 
going  to  say,  there  he  was  doing  his  best  to 
let  Miss  Parrott  understand  just  what  hap- 
pened in  Mr.  Atkins'  store.  He  must  please 
Mamsie. 

And  to  his  great  surprise  and  relief,  Miss 
Parrott  never  said  one  word  of  praise  for  any- 
thing that  he  did,  and  as  for  petting  him,  she 
still  sat  bolt  upright  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
tale,  and  only  said,  "  Thank  you  for  telling 


me." 


David  drew  himself  up,  and  began  to  enjoy 
himself.  As  for  Polly,  her  brown  eyes  danced 
and  the  color  came  back  in  her  cheeks. 

"  I  am  going  to  take  you  home  with  me," 
said  Miss  Parrott  suddenly. 

"  Oh,"  cried  Polly,  wrenched  away  from  the 
bliss  of  actually  driving  in  the  Parrott  coach, 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM   209 

"  we  can't  go.  Mamsie  doesn't  know  where 
we  are,  and  we  ought  to  go  home  now." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Miss  Parrott  reflectively, 
"that  I  ought  to  drive  around  and  ask  your 
mother."  But  she  bit  her  lip,  being  accus- 
tomed to  do  all  things  as  she  chose  without 
leave  or  license  from  anybody.  Still  a  woman 
should  be  asked  about  the  movements  of  her 
own  children.  So  she  gave  the  order  to  the 
old  coachman,  and  the  horses  were  soon  turned 
in  the  direction  of  the  little  brown  house. 

Davie  forgot  himself  and  sprang  out  with- 
out a  word  of  thanks,  and  rushed  up  to  the  old 
green  door. 

"  Oh,  do  forgive  him,  Miss  Parrott,"  begged 
Polly  in  distress,  "  he  didn't  mean  to  be  rude." 

For  answer  Miss  Parrott  only  said,  "  Will 
you  ask  your  mother  to  come  out  here  ?  "  But 
she  smiled,  so  Polly  knew  that  things  weren't  so 
very  bad,  and  she  ran  up  the  path,  greatly  re- 
lieved. 

And  presently  Mrs.  Pepper  came  out,  with 
Polly,  and  to  the  great  astonishment,  said, 
"  Yes,  the  children  could  go,"  and  "  Run  in, 
and  put  a  clean  blouse  on,  Davie." 

"  The  boy  looks  well  enough,"  said  Miss 


210  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Parrott  decidedly.  "  I'm  sure  you  keep  your 
children  always  clean,  Mrs.  Pepper, — every- 
body says  so/' 

But  Mrs.  Pepper  only  smiled,  and  Polly  ran 
into  the  house  to  get  Davie  ready.  For  when 
Mamsie  said  a  thing,  she  always  meant  it,  and 
pretty  soon  out  they  came,  Davie  quite  fresh 
in  another  calico  blouse  and  not  entirely  at  rest 
in  his  mind  as  to  the  visit  at  the  Parrott  estate. 

When  they  drove  up  with  a  flourish  before 
the  big  front  door  with  carved  stone  lions  on 
either  side,  Davie  held  Polly's  hand  closely,  and 
surveyed  everything  with  wide  blue  eyes. 

The  butler,  a  dignitary  resplendent  enough 
in  the  children's  eyes  to  be  the  owner  of  many 
estates,  came  down  the  wide  hall.  Miss  Par- 
rott gave  him  instructions  concerning  her 
guests,  whom  he  viewed  with  cold  unconcern. 

"  Now,  then,  children,"  she  said,  "  I'm  going 
to  take  you  into  the  garden  and  leave  you  there. 
You  will  be  called  when  luncheon  is  served," 
and  turning  off  from  the  big  hall  to  a  narrow 
passage,  they  came  to  a  green  lattice  door. 

Miss  Parrott  opened  this.  "Oh!"  cried 
Polly,  clasping  her  hands  in  delight.  And 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM   211 

Davie  forgot  his  fright  and  gave  a  little  squeal. 

"  It's  so  perfectly  beautiful ! "  exclaimed 
Polly. 

An,  old-fashioned  garden,  bright  with  holly- 
hocks and  all  sorts  of  dear,  homely  flowers,  a 
little  square  plot  in  the  center,  around  which 
were  stone  seats,  burst  upon  their  view.  All 
off  in  the  distance  were  terraces  and  lawns, 
with  all  manner  of  splendid  trees,  and  pleasant 
paths  intersecting. 

Miss  Parrott's  long  gaunt  face  drew  up  into 
a  pleasant  smile  that  seemed  to  say,  "  Good-by 
to  your  wrinkles." 

"  Now  run  along,  children,  and  enjoy  your- 
selves," she  said.  "  You  will  be  called  when 
luncheon  is  ready.  Be  sure  that  you  come  in 
at  once." 

"  Polly,"  said  Davie  in  an  awe-struck  voice, 
"  do  you  suppose  the  lady  can  come  in  here 
every  time  she  wants  to  ?  " 

"Of  course,"  said  Polly,  longing  to  hop 
up  and  down,  but  perhaps  some  one  would  see 
her  and  it  wouldn't  be  considered  proper. 
"  Why  she  lives  here,  Davie." 

Davie  drew  a  long  breath.     To  live  in  this 


212  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

beautiful  place  and  come  out  in  this  wonderful 
garden!  He  drew  a  long  breath  and  stood 
quite  still  beside  the  green  lattice  door. 

"  Let's  go  and  sit  down  on  one  of  those  little 
stone  seats,"  said  Polly. 

So  the  children  walked  quite  properly  over 
and  sat  down  on  one  of  the  seats  in  the  little 
green  square. 

"  Polly/'  said  Davie,  "  I  very  much  wish 
that  we  could  go  over  under  those  trees,"  point- 
ing to  a  bit  of  greensward  where  the  noon- 
day sun  was  making  cool  shadows. 

"  Why,  we  can,"  said  Polly;  "  Miss  Parrott 
said  we  could  run  aboufi  and  enjoy  it  all."  She 
got  off  from  the  little  stone  seat  and  held  out 
her  hand. 

"  Oh,  Polly,  can  we  really  run?  "  cried  Davie 
in  great  excitement. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  cried  Polly,  finding  her  cour- 
age in  David's  happiness.  "  Come  on,  I'll  race 
you  to  that  big  pine-tree." 

"  Now  what  does  Miss  Parrott  want  with  the 
likes  of  them  poor  children,"  exclaimed  a 
scornful  housemaid,  peering  out  of  the  green 
lattice  door. 

"  Kevin  knows !  "  cried  the  butler,  raising 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM      213 

both  hands,  "  and  they  are  actually  to  stay  to 
luncheon." 

"  Oh  —  oh !  "  ejaculated  the  housemaid  with 
a  sniff . 

Up-stairs  under  the  gambrel  roof  overrun 
with  sweet-brier,  Miss  Parrott  was  sitting  by 
her  window,  listening  to  the  childish  peals  of 
laughter,  as  Polly  and  David  played  hide-and- 
seek  between  the  ancestral  trees. 

"  I  haven't  felt  so  happy  here,"  placing  her 
hand  on  her  heart,  "  since  Sister  and  I  played 
there.  Strange  that  I  dreaded  asking  children 
here." 

The  butler  flung  open  the  green  lattice  door, 
and  said  harshly,  "  Come  in  to  luncheon,"  and 
started  to  find  Miss  Parrott  just  behind  him. 

"  That  is  scarcely  the  way  to  summon  my 
guests,"  she  said. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Ma'am,"  said  the  butler  ob- 
sequiously. 

"  I  want  you  to  go  out  and  treat  them  as  you 
would  any  other  of  my  friends,"  said  Miss 
Parrott. 

And  the  butler  with  a  sullen  face  but  a  back 
that  expressed  nothing  but  complete  submis- 
sion, stalked  down  the  garden  path  to  the  big 


2i4  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

trees  whence  the  happy  sounds  proceeded. 
And  the  scornful  housemaid  confided  it  all  to 
the  equally  disdainful  cook,  who  said  never 
in  her  twenty-five  years  of  service  on  the  Par- 
rott  estate  had  she  seen  such  goings  on. 

When  the  three  were  seated  around  the 
luncheon  table  in  the  handsome  dining-room, 
Davie  was  quite  overwhelmed  at  the  array  of 
silver  and  glass  that  shone  upon  the  polished 
mahogany  table.  And  Polly  turned  pale  and 
only  hoped  they  should  neither  of  them  do 
anything  to  disgrace  Mamsie. 

But  although  they  didn't  know  what  to  do 
with  all  the  knives  and  forks,  Miss  Parrott 
never  appeared  to  notice.  Polly,  who  hadn't 
been  able  to  forget  the  disdainful  butler,  saw 
him  back  of  Davie's  chair  scornfully  survey  the 
efforts  to  carry  the  food  up  nicely  to  the  small 
mouth  and  the  color  flew  over  her  cheek. 
Then  Miss  Parrott  said  to  him,  "  I  sha'n't  re- 
quire you  any  more.  Bring  me  the  bell  —  and 
I  will  ring  if  I  need  you." 

And  the  butler  quite  humble  once  more, 
brought  the  little  silver  bell  from  the  massive 
sideboard  heavy  with  ancestral  plate,  and  went 
out  of  the  room,  his  head  lowered  by  several 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM   215 

inches.  Polly's  hot  flush  died  down  on  her 
cheek,  and  things  began  to  get  comfortable. 

"  Now/'  said  Miss  Parrott,  when  luncheon 
was  over,  "  I  am  going  to  show  you  some 
things  that  I  played  with  when  I  was  a  little 
girl."  She  had  a  faint  pink  color  on  her  sal- 
low face,  and  she  smiled  as  if  quite  content. 
But  still  she  didn't  know  what  to  do  with  her 
guests  to  make  them  happy. 

David  wanted  to  ask,  "  Were  you  ever  a 
little  girl  ?  "  as  he  looked  the  long,  angular 
figure  up  and  down,  but  he  kept  quite  still. 

"  Oh,  would  you  really  ?  "  cried  Polly  in  de- 
light. 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  greatly  pleased, 
"  would  you  really  like  to  see  them  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  would  —  we  would !  "  declared 
Polly. 

"  Come  this  way  then,"  and  out  into  the  big 
wide  hall,  and  over  a  broad  and  winding  stair- 
case dim  with  the  shaded  light  of  a  tall  Colonial 
window,  they  went,  then  down  a  narrow  pas- 
sage, at  the  end  of  which  were  two  cunning 
little  steps. 

"  Here  was  our  playroom  —  Sister's  and 
mine,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  pausing  at  a  door, 


216  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

and  taking  a  key  from  her  black  silk  bag,  she 
fitted  it  in  the  lock.  And  presently  there  they 
all  three  were  in  a  long,  low-ceilinged  room. 
It  had  shelves  on  two  sides  filled  with  books 
and  games,  and  dolls  —  and  there  was  a  small 
table  in  the  center,  and  little  chairs  scattered 
about. 

Miss  Parrott  turned  her  back  on  it  suddenly, 
and  made  as  if  she  were  going  out.  But  she 
faced  the  children  in  a  minute  and  smiled,  and 
again  she  put  her  hand  to  her  heart. 

"  Now  you  can  each  pick  out  something,  and 
I  will  tell  you  about  it,"  she  said,  seating  her- 
self on  an  old-fashioned  broad  sofa. 

Polly  stood  quite  still  before  her  with  shin- 
ing eyes.  "  Can  we  really  touch  the  things  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"Yes,  all  you  like,"  and  Miss  Parrott  ac- 
tually laughed. 

"  Davie,"  Polly  ran  up  to  him,  "  we  can 
choose  something  and  take  it  to  her  and  she 
will  tell  us  about  it,"  she  said.  Then  she  ran 
off  to  the  corner  where  the  dolls  sat  up  in  all 
their  faded  and  old-fashioned  glory. 

David  went  over  to  one  of  the  book-shelves. 
At  first  he  only  gazed;  then  he  put  a  timid 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM  217 

finger  on  one  and  another.  At  last  he  selected 
a  worn  old  reader  whose  pages  were  inter- 
spersed with  pictures,  and  holding  it  closely, 
he  marched  up  with  it  to  Miss  Parrott's  sofa, 
just  as  Polly  came  flying  up  with  a  big  rag  doll 
in  a  little  checked  silk  gown,  a  quaint  necker- 
chief, and  a  big  mob-cap. 

"  I  will  tell  you  about  yours  first,"  said  Miss 
Parrott,  taking  the  doll.  Then  she  laughed, 
"  Well,  you  see  Sister  and  I  both  had  the  prom- 
ise of  a  new  doll.  We  were  to  own  it  together, 
because  that  was  the  way  we  had  everything," 
and  she  waved  her  hand  around  the  play- 
room. "  Well,  our  mother  had  given  the  or- 
der to  have  it  made  and  dressed,  and  its  face 
was  to  be  painted  by  a  real  artist.  Oh,  you 
can't  think  how  we  watched  for  that  doll. 
We  were  quite  impatient  for  its  arrival.  The 
lady  who  was  to  dress  it  kept  sending  word 
that  she  had  been  detained  from  doing  the 
work,  but  that  it  was  to  be  quite  fine.  We 
were  letting  our  imaginations  run  riot  with 
all  sorts  of  splendid  ideas  on  just  how  that  doll 
was  to  look.  Sister  decided  it  would  be 
dressed  in  a  pink  satin  gown  with  a  little  pink 
cap, —  but  I  hoped  it  would  be  all  in  blue. 


218  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Well,  we  used  to  watch  at  the  window,  a  part 
of  every  day  for  the  big  box  containing  that 
precious  doll. 

"  At  last  one  day  Sister  was  at  the  window, 
and  she  screamed  '  Judith  —  Judith ! '  " 

Davie  forgot  his  awe,  to  burst  out,  "  Was 
that  your  name?  " 

"  Yes,  dear/'  said  Miss  Parrott,  very  much 
pleased  that  he  had  found  his  tongue.  "  I  was 
named  for  my  grandmother." 

"  Oh,"  said  David. 

"  And  Sarah  was  my  sister's  name ;  she  was 
named  for  our  mother." 

"  Oh,"  said  David  again. 

"  Well,  we  ran  after  the  big  box  as  it  was 
carried  into  the  sitting-room,  and  Mother  had 
one  of  the  maids  cut  the  heavy  cord  and  then 
Sister  and  I  were  each  to  lift  one  end  of  the 
cover  and  take  it  off.  You  can't  imagine, 
children,  what  that  moment,  so  long  waited  for, 
was  to  us !  " 

Polly  and  Davie  each  side  of  Miss  Parrott, 
the  big  rag  doll  on  her  lap,  didn't  dare  to 
breathe,  so  afraid  they  should  miss  something 
of  this  great  moment. 

"  We  lifted  the  tissue  paper  with  trembling 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM   219 

fingers,  and  there  lay  this  doll,"  Miss  Parrott 
lifted  it,  "  and  we  had  watched  every  day  for 
a  pink  or  a  blue  satin  one !  " 

Polly  broke  the  silence  first.  "  Oh,  I  think 
this  one  was  the  nicest  to  play  with." 

"  So  it  was,  child,  but  we  were  silly  little 
girls,  and  we  had  set  our  hearts  on  quite 
another  kind  of  doll.  Well,  what  do  you  think 
we  did?  I  am  quite  ashamed  to  tell  you,  but 
you  shall  have  the  whole  story.  We  threw 
ourselves  down  on  the  floor,  our  arms  around 
each  other,  and  declared  we  didn't  want  that 
doll." 

"  O  dear !  "  exclaimed  Polly. 

"  And  so  our  mother  said  '  Very  well/  and 
she  had  the  tissue  paper  all  put  back  over  the 
doll,  the  cover  put  on  and  the  box  tied  up. 
And  then  it  was  taken  away  and  put  up  on  a 
shelf  over  the  linen  press." 

"  O  dear !  "  breathed  Polly  again. 

"  And  that  doll  stayed  up  there  all  one  year, 
and  we  never  said  we  were  sorry,  and  asked 
for  her.  And  one  day  an  awkward  servant  in 
cleaning  that  shelf,  knocked  the  box  off,  and 
then  he  became  frightened,  so  he  opened  it  to 
see  if  he'd  broken  anything.  And  somebody 


220  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

calling  him,  he  left  the  box  on  the  floor,  and  a 
little  dog  we  had,  a  mischievous  creature,  ran 
into  the  linen-room  and  stuck  his  nose  in  the 
box." 

"O  dear!"  exclaimed  Polly  and  David  to- 
gether. 

"AndTowsle—  " 

"  Was  that  his  name?  "  asked  Davie,  press- 
ing up  to  her  black  silk  gown  in  great  excite- 
ment. 

"  Yes,  dear,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  smiling 
down  into  his  blue  eyes.  "  Well,  Towsle 
nipped  that  doll  up  in  his  sharp  teeth,  and  ran 
off  down-stairs  with  her.  And  Sister  heard 
him  coming  and  she  called  '  Towsle  —  Towsle  ' 
for  she  wanted  him  to  come  and  play  with  her. 
But  Towsle  was  going  to  have  a  great  deal 
more  pleasure  he  thought  with  the  doll,  so  he 
hid  behind  one  of  the  big  carved  chairs  in  the 
hall.  And  then  when  he  thought  she  had  gone 
safely  by,  he  crept  out.  But  she  spied  him, 
and  she  screamed,  '  Oh,  he's  got  our  doll ! '  and 
Uncle  John,  who  was  in  the  sitting-room  with 
Mother,  ran  out  with  her.  But  Towsle  —  oh, 
there  was  no  catching  him  then,  for  — " 


IN  THE  PARROTT  PLAYROOM  221 

"And  didn't  they  catch  him?"  burst  in 
Davie  with  round  blue  eyes. 

"  Why,  yes,  dear,"  Miss  Parrott  pointed  to 
the  doll  in  her  lap. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Davie  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
looking  down  at  it. 

"  But  in  flying  down  the  long  steps  at  last, 
Towsle  caught  one  of  his  feet  in  the  doll's 
dress,  and  over  he  rolled  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom.  But  he  wouldn't  give  up  the  doll. 
And  then  I  heard  the  noise,  and  I  ran  out  from 
the  garden,  and  before  Mother  and  Uncle  John 
and  Sister  got  there,  I  seized  the  doll,  and 
Towsle  pulled  and  I  pulled  —  and  there,"  Miss 
Parrott  turned  the  doll  over  in  her  lap,  "  the 
silk  gown  was  torn.  You  can  scarcely  see  the 
place,  for  our  mother  mended  it  so  neatly." 

The  Pepper  children  bent  over  to  scan 
closely  the  rent  in  the  back  of  the  checked  silk 
gown. 

"  I  shouldn't  know  it  was  mended,"  declared 
Polly  at  last. 

"  No,  would  you?  "  said  Miss  Parrott,  with 
bright  eyes.  "  Our  mother  was  a  most  beauti- 
ful sewer.  Well,  we  couldn't  help  laughing, 


222  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

Towsle  was  so  funny,  and  he  tried  to  get  that 
doll  away  from  me  after  I  had  at  last  torn  it 
from  him.  And  then  Sister  cried  right  out, 
'  Oh,  our  poor  doll ! ' —  and  then  I  cried  over 
her,  and  we  petted  her  up.  And  we  said  we'd 
love  her  forever  after." 

"  That  was  nice/'  said  Polly,  smoothing 
down  her  gown  in  great  satisfaction. 

"  And  we  called  her  '  Priscilla/  and  we  took 
her  to  bed  with  us  every  night,"  finished  Miss 
Parrott. 


CHAPTER  XV 

"  AND  SEE  MY  SLATE  " 

44\T7AS    Towsle   your   very   own   dog?" 
*  *     asked  Polly  breathlessly. 

"  Yes,  Sister's  and  mine/'  said  Miss  Parrott. 
"  You  see  one  day  he  belonged  to  me,  and  the 
next  to  her.  And  one  night  he  slept  on  the 
foot  of  her  bed,  and  the  next  on  mine.  And 
he  never  made  a  mistake  —  when  he  saw  us 
get  into  our  nightgowns." 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Polly,  clasping  her 
hands.  David  crowded  up  closely,  almost  for- 
getting the  precious  book  in  his  hands.  To 
own  a  dog,  and  to  have  him  sleep  on  your  bed 
at  night ! 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  a  picture  of 
Towsle  ? "  asked  Miss  Parrott,  with  a  keen 
look  into  each  face. 

"  Oh,  would  you  show  it  to  us  ?  "  cried  Polly 
eagerly. 

223 


224  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Davie  drew  a  long  breath.  It  wasn't  neces- 
sary for  him  to  ask,  as  long  as  Polly  did. 

"  You  hold  the  doll/'  Miss  Parrott  laid  Pris- 
cilla  in  Polly's  arm,  "  and  stay  there,  children." 

So  Polly  and  David  waited  by  the  big  sofa 
and  watched  Miss  Parrott  go  over  to  a  cabinet 
on  the  wall.  And  pretty  soon  back  she  came 
with  an  old-fashioned  daguerreotype  in  her 
hand. 

"  You  see,  Uncle  John  wanted  to  have  our 
pictures  taken,  and  we  begged  to  have  Towsle 
between  us.  So  there  we  are !  " 

Miss  Parrott  pushed  up  the  little  spring  and 
there  were  two  small  girls  in  checked  high- 
necked  dresses,  with  ruffles  around  the  necks, 
and  hair  brushed  back  and  held  by  round 
combs.  A  small  fuzzy-wuzzy  dog  with  eyes 
like  black  shoe  buttons  sat  primly  up  between 
the  two. 

Polly  and  David  gazed  perfectly  absorbed  at 
the  picture.  At  last  Miss  Parrott  asked, 
"  Now  which  of  these  two  little  girls  do  you 
think  is  my  picture  ?  " 

"  Were  you  ever  a  little  girl?  "  It  was  im- 
possible for  David  to  keep  from  asking  the 
question  now,  although  the  instant  it  was  out, 


"AND  SEE  MY  SLATE"         225 

he  knew  that  a  terrible  blunder  had  been  made. 

"Oh,  Davie!"  exclaimed  Polly,  greatly 
mortified. 

"  It's  no  wonder  that  you  ask,  Davie,"  Miss 
Parrott  smiled  at  him,  so  he  raised  his  head, 
"  so  many  years  have  passed.  Well,  which  of 
those  two  little  girls  do  you  think  I  was  ?  " 

David  considered  slowly  —  then  put  his 
finger  on  one.  There  was  something  in  the 
kind  eyes  that  made  him  think  of  Miss  Par- 
rott when  she  smiled  at  him. 

"  Which  do  you  think,  Polly?  " 

"  I  don't  know/'  she  said,  "  but  I  think  this 
one,"  and  she  chose  the  other  little  girl. 

"Davie  is  right,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  with 
another  smile  for  him.  And  Polly  beamed  at 
him,  for  it  really  was  nicer  that  he  had  guessed 
the  right  one. 

"  Did  Towsle  like  to  have  his  picture 
taken?  "asked  Polly. 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  with  a  little  laugh, 
"  not  at  first.  He  barked  dreadfully  at  the 
man  who  was  trying  to  take  the  picture,  and  he 
said  at  last  that  he  couldn't  let  the  dog  be  in  it. 
And  Uncle  John  said  then  nobody  would  have 
a  picture  taken  at  all." 


226  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  O  dear !  —  what  did  you  do  ?  "  cried  Polly. 

"  And  wasn't  there  any  picture  ? "  cried 
David,  dreadfully  worried. 

"  Why,  yes  —  see  —  here  it  is."  Miss  Par- 
rott  tapped  it  with  a  long  hand/ on  which  shone 
several  ancestral  rings. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot,"  said  Davie,  looking  down  at 
the  daguerreotype  in  her  lap. 

"Oh,  Miss  Parrott,  what  did  you  do?" 
begged  Polly  anxiously. 

"  Well,  the  man  went  out  and  told  his  little 
girl  to  come  in.  They  had  just  been  making 
some  molasses  candy,  and  she  brought  a  piece. 
And  he  told  her  to  hold  it  up,  so  that  the  dog 
could  see  it.  And  then  he  got  back  of  his  little 
black  thing  over  the  picture  machine,  and  he 
stuck  up  his  head,  and  said,  *  All  right  —  sit 
still,  children/  and  then  something  clicked,  and 
we  were  all  taken." 

"  Towsle  was  good  to  sit  still,  wasn't  he, 
Miss  Parrott,"  cried  Polly,  with  shining  eyes. 

"  Yes,  indeed.  You  see  he  knew  it  was 
candy  that  the  little  girl  held.  That  was  the 
way  Sister  and  I  always  made  him  keep  still 
before  we  gave  him  any.  So  he  never  took  his 
eyes  off  from  it." 


"  AND  SEE  MY  SLATE  "        227 

"  And  did  he  get  the  candy  —  did  he  ?  "  cried 
David  in  great  excitement. 

"  To  be  sure  he  did,"  laughed  Miss  Parrott, 
"  and  it  took  him  ever  so  long  to  eat  it,  for  he 
got  his  teeth  all  stuck  together.  And  Uncle 
John  paid  the  man,  and  then  he  said,  '  Hasn't 
that  dog  finished  his  candy  yet  ?  '  for  there  was 
Towsle  whirling  around,  putting  up  first  one 
paw  and  then  another  to  his  face  to  try  to  get 
his  jaws  apart.  You  see  the  candy  was  too 
soft."  Miss  Parrott  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh 
in  which  Polly  and  David  joined. 

"  And  Towsle  wouldn't  take  any  molasses 
candy  when  Sister  and  I  offered  it  to  him  after 
that,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  wiping  her  eyes. 
"  Dear  me,  children,  I  don't  know  when  I  have 
laughed  so.  Well,  now  I  must  put  the 
daguerreotype  up." 

When  she  came  back  to  the  big  sofa, 
she  looked  at  David,  the  book  tightly  clasped 
in  his  hands. 

"  Now  I  must  tell  you  about  this.  So  you 
chose  a  book,  Davie?"  as  he  laid  it  in  her 
hands. 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  "  I  did." 

"  Well,"  Miss  Parrott  turned  the  leaves  of 


228  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

an  old  First  Reader.  "  Now  this  makes  me 
very  sad." 

"  Oh,  don't  tell  about  it,  if  it  makes  you  feel 
bad,"  cried  Polly  in  distress.  "You  don't 
want  her  to,  Davie,  do  you  ?  " 

Davie  swallowed  hard,  trying  to  say,  "  No, 
don't  tell  about  it." 

But  before  he  could  get  the  words  out,  Miss 
Parrott  said  quickly,  "  I  really  should  like  to 
tell  about  it,  children.  Well,  you  see,  I  wasn't 
quick  about  learning  to  read,  as  Sister  was,  and 
our  governess  — " 

"  What's  a  gover  —  what  you  said  ?  "  David 
broke  in.  He  must  know  if  he  really  were 
going  to  understand  about  the  book. 

"  Oh,  Davie ! "  cried  Polly  reprovingly, 
"  you  musn't  interrupt." 

"  A  governess  was  the  lady  who  taught  Sis- 
ter and  me  our  lessons.  You  see  we  didn't  go 
to  school,  but  studied  at  home." 

"  Oh,"  said  Polly  and  David  together. 

"  Well,  Miss  Barton,  that  was  her  name,  had 
a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  me,  I  suppose. 
And  one  thing  that  I  was  the  slowest  to  learn, 
was  spelling.  I  was  quite  dull  at  it.  And  one 
day  —  this  is  the  part  that  makes  me  sad, 


"  AND  SEE  MY  SLATE  "        229 

children,  I  was  very  naughty.  I  was  deter- 
mined I  would  spell  my  own  way,  and  I  began 
at  the  word  '  From/  '  She  turned  the  next 
oage,  and  there  in  the  midst  of  a  little  story  was 
the  word  "  From  "  beginning  a  new  sentence, 
and  around  it  were  queer  little  crumpled-up 
places  in  the  paper. 

"  Those  are  the  tears  I  shed  afterward,"  said 
Miss  Parrott,  pointing  to  them. 

"  O  dear ! "  cried  both  children,  quite  over- 
come to  see  these  tears  that  were  cried  out  of 
Miss  Parrott's  eyes  so  long  ago. 

"  You  see,  Miss  Barton  would  have  Sister 
and  me  stand  up  before  her  while  she  picked 
out  words  for  us  to  spell,  and  then  she  would 
have  us  read  the  story  to  which  they  belonged, 
and  she  gave  me  that  word,"  Miss  Parrott's 
finger  pointed  to  "  From  "  in  the  midst  of  the 
crumply  spots,  "  and  I  spelled  it  '  Frum/  and  I 
wouldn't  spell  it  any  other  way,  although  she 
told  me  how.  I  kept  saying,  '  F  r  u  m  — 
Frum'  over  and  over,  and  Sister  tried  to 
make  me  obey  Miss  Barton,  but  I  shook  my 
head,  and  kept  saying,  '  F  r  it  m'  and  at  last 
our  governess  had  to  call  Mother." 

The  room  was  very  still  now. 


23o  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Well,  when  our  Mother  came  into  the  little 
room,  I  remember  I  longed  to  run  into  her  arms 
and  say  I  was  sorry,  but  something  inside  of 
me  held  me  back,  and  Mother  led  me  away,  and 
Sister  burst  out  crying." 

"  Well,  children/'  said  Miss  Parrott,  after  a 
pause,  "  I  shall  never  forget  how  I  suffered  as 
I  sat  on  the  little  stool  in  a  room  by  myself, 
which  was  our  punishment  when  we  were 
naughty,  and  thought  it  all  over.  And  I  can 
never  see  the  word  *  From  '  that  it  doesn't  come 
back  to  me.  Well  now,  Davie,  so  you  chose  a 
book  ?  "  she  added  brightly. 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  David,  still  keeping  his 
eyes  on  "  From." 

"  You  like  books  pretty  well,  do  you  ?  "  asked 
Miss  Parrott,  with  a  keen  glance. 

"  Davie  just  loves  books,"  declared  Polly  im- 
pulsively, as  Davie  raised  sparkling  eyes. 

"  And  there  was  another  thing  that  Sister 
and  I  had  to  help  us  with  our  spelling.  We 
each  had  a  slate." 

"  A  slate! "  screamed  Davie.  "  Oh,  did  you 
really  have  a  slate  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure/'  said  Miss  Parrott. 


"AND  SEE  MY  SLATE"        231 

"All  to  yourself ?"  cried  Davie,  quite  gone 
with  excitement. 

"  Yes,  indeed  —  we  each  had  one.  Do  you 
want  to  see  them  ?  " 

Davie' s  eyes  said  "  Yes  "  without  the  word. 
But  he  said  it  aloud  nevertheless. 

Miss  Parrott  went  over  to  the  same  cabinet 
and  put  up  the  doll  and  the  daguerreotype, 
bringing  back  two  small  slates,  with  a  pencil 
and  a  little  sponge  hanging  to  each. 

"  Sister's  had  a  green  edge/'  she  said,  hold- 
ing first  one  slate  up  to  notice,  and  then  the 
other,  "  and  this  one  is  mine  —  with  a  red 
border." 

"  May  I  hold  it  ?  "  begged  David,  longingly 
reaching  up  his  hands. 

"  Indeed  you  may,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  giv- 
ing it  to  him.  "And,  Davie,  you  may  keep 
that  slate.  I  can't  give  away  Sister's  —  I  shall 
keep  that  always  —  but  that  one  is  mine.  I 
hope  you  like  red  best  ?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"  I  do,"  said  Davie,  clasping  the  slate 
hungrily.  "  Is  it  mine  —  all  mine?  " 

"  It's  yours  to  keep  always,"  said  Miss  Par- 
rott decidedly,  "  and  I  am  so  glad  that  you  like 


232  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

it.  Well  now,  Polly,  I'm  going  to  give  you  a 
little  plant  to  carry  home.  I  hope  you  like 
flowers/' 

For  answer  Polfy  clasped  her  hands.  It  was 
all  she  could  do  to  keep  from  hopping  up  and 
down  in  delight.  Seeing  this,  Miss  Parrott 
took  her  hand.  "  We  will  go  down  and  choose 
it,"  she  said. 

David,  hanging  to  his  red-bordered  slate,  fol- 
lowed them  down-stairs  and  out  through  the 
little  green  lattice  door. 

When  they  reached  the  little  green  plot  with 
the  stone  seats,  Miss  Parrott  sat  down,  for  all 
the  unusual  happenings  of  this  day  made  a  little 
rest  seem  very  sweet.  But  she  looked  at 
Polly's  and  David's  dancing  feet,  and  said, 
"  You  run  about,  children,  and  I  will  come  pres- 
ently, and  pick  out  a  plant  for  Polly." 

No  need  for  a  second  invitation.  Like  little 
wild  things,  they  were  off  up  to  the  big  green 
trees,  David  hanging  to  his  red-bordered  slate 
for  dear  life. 

"  Put  it  down,  Davie,  do,"  begged  Polly, 
"  under  that  tree.  We  can't  play  tag  with  any 
fun  if  you  hold  the  slate." 


"AND  SEE  MY  SLATE"        233 

"  No  —  no,"  cried  Davie  in  alarm,  and 
grasping  it  tighter. 

"  Oh,  well,  never  mind,"  said  Polly. 
"  Now,  come  on,"  with  a  pat  on  his  shoulder, 
"  you're  it." 

"She's  all  tired  out,"  declared  the  house- 
maid, peering  out  of  the  green  lattice  door, 
"  look  at  her  a-settin'  there.  I  sh'd  think  she 
would  be  with  them  childern  round  her  all 
day." 

"  Bad  luck  to  'em,"  exclaimed  the  cross  cook, 
coming  up  to  look  over  the  housemaid's 
shoulder.  "  Well,  I  never  —  jest  look  at  'em 
a-racin'  an'  a-chasin'  all  over  th'  place!  Did 
anybody  ever  see  sech  goin's-on  in  this  garden 
before?" 

The  butler  didn't  dare,  since  his  reproof  in 
the  dining-room,  to  join  this  conversation,  but 
he  shrugged  up  his  shoulders,  as  he  kept  on  at 
his  task  of  polishing  up  the  family  plate. 

And  Miss  Parrott  being  nicely  rested,  more 
by  hearing  the  happy  voices  and  watching  the 
flying  feet,  than  by  sitting  still  on  the  little 
stone  seat,  got  up  presently.  "  Come,  chil- 
dren," she  called,  "  we  must  choose  Polly's 


234  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

plant,"  and  in  almost  no  time  at  all,  they  both 
stood  before  her. 

Around  and  around  the  old-fashioned  gar- 
den bright  with  hollyhocks  and  all  sorts  of  blos- 
soms and  shrubs,  they  went,  Miss  Parrott  with 
her  ringer  on  her  chin,  a  way  she  had  when  she 
was  thinking,  and  Polly  holding  her  breath 
whenever  a  stop  was  made  before  a  little  plant. 

At  last  Miss  Parrott  paused  before  a  row  of 
little  yellow  primroses,  lifting  their  bright  faces 
as  if  to  say,  "  Take  me  —  oh  do,  take  me !  " 

"  I  really  believe,  Polly,"  said  Miss  Parrott, 
looking  down  at  them,  "  that  you  will  like  one 
of  these.  I  am  sure  they  were  great  favorites 
of  mine  when  I  was  a  little  girl." 

For  answer  Polly  threw  herself  down  on  her 
knees,  and  laid  her  flushed  cheek  against  a 
small  cluster  of  yellow  blooms. 

"  You  may  pick  cut  the  one  you  like  best/* 
said  Miss  Parrott. 

"  Oh,  this  one  —  if  you  please,"  cried  Polly, 
lifting  a  little  pot.  "I  choose  this  one  — 
and  thank  you,  dear  Miss  Parrott." 

"  I  really  believe  you  have  made  a  good  selec- 
tion, Polly,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  the  color  rising 
to  her  sallow  cheek.  It  was  so  long  since  any 


'YOU    MAY    PICK   OUT   THE   ONE    YOU   LIKE    BEST,"    SAID   MRS.    PABROTT. 

Page  234. 


"AND  SEE  MY  SLATE"        235 

one  had  called  her  "  dear."  "  Well  now,  I  am 
sorry  to  say  it  is  getting  time  for  me  to  send 
you  home,  for  I  have  much  enjoyed  the  day, 
but  your  mother  will  never  allow  you  to  come 
again  if  I  keep  you  too  long,"  and  she  led  the 
way  into  the  house,  where  Polly  got  her  hat  and 
Davie  his  cap. 

Miss  Parrott  led  the  way  down  the  broad 
hall,  with  its  rugs  on  the  polished  floor  and  the 
portraits  of  her  ancestors  lining  the  walls. 
She  looked  back  as  she  neared  the  big  oaken 
door  to  see  Polly  standing  spellbound  before 
the  drawing-room,  and  Davie  by  her  side. 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  in,  dear?  "  Miss  Par- 
rott came  back  and  pointed  within  the  long 
apartment. 

"  Oh,  if  I  may,"  said  Polly,  in  an  awe-struck 
little  voice. 

"  Certainly,  dear,  and  Davie,  too."  Then 
she  followed,  curious  to  see  what  would  first 
claim  attention. 

Polly  went  straight  to  the  big  grand  piano 
standing  half  across  two  long  French  windows, 
and  stood  quite  still.  David  came  softly  after. 

"If  you  can  play,  Polly,"  said  Miss  Parrott, 
not  thinking  of  anything  else  to  break  the 


236  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

silence,  "  I  am  quite  willing  that  you  should, 
dear." 

"  Oh,  I  can't  play,"  said  Polly,  coming  out  of 
her  absorption  with  a  little  laugh  at  the  very 
idea. 

"  She  plays  on  the  table/'  said  Davie,  look- 
ing up  at  Miss  Parrott. 

"Plays  on  the  table?"  repeated  Miss  Par- 
rott in  a  puzzled  way.  "  I  don't  understand." 

"Just  like  this,"  Davie  having  by  this  time 
quite  forgotten  to  be  embarrassed,  went  over 
to  the  big  mahogany  center  table,  and  laying 
down  his  beloved  slate,  softly  ran  his  fingers 
up  and  down  the  shining  surface. 

"  Oh,  you  mean  instead  of  a  piano  she  uses  a 
table." 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  picking  up  his  slate,  and 
running  back  to  stand  by  Polly. 

Miss  Parrott  was  quite  still  for  a  moment  re- 
garding Polly.  Then  she  said,  "  Would  you 
like  to  have  me  play  to  you,  Polly  ?  " 

Polly  drew  a  long  breath,  and  tore  her  gaze 
away  from  the  big  piano. 

"  Oh,  if  you  would !  "  she  cried  with  shining 
eyes. 

So  Miss  Parrott  sat  down  on  the  music-stool 


"  AND  SEE  MY  SLATE  "        237 

and  drew  her  long  figure  up  just  as  the  music 
master  had  instructed  her  years  ago,  and  began 
to  finger  the  keys,  Polly,  with  her  little  plant  in 
her  hand,  standing  in  rapt  attention,  on  one 
side,  and  David,  with  his  slate,  on  the  other. 

At  first  the  tunes  didn't  go  very  well,  Miss 
Parrott  observing,  "  I  don't  know  when  I  have 
tried  this  before/'  and  breaking  into  some  other 
selection.  But  by  degrees,  the  slender  fingers 
began  to  run  up  and  down  quite  at  their  ease 
among  the  black  and  white  keys,  and  the  long 
somber  drawing-room  seemed  to  glow  with  the 
trills  and  quavers. 

"  My  soul  an'  body !  "  exclaimed  the  cross 
cook  to  the  housemaid,  "  ef  she  ain't  play  in'  th' 
pianner.  I'm  scared  to  death,  Mary  Jane." 

Mary  Jane's  florid  face  turned  two  shades 
paler.  "  I  expect  she's  going  to  die,"  she 
whimpered. 

And  over  in  the  big  drawing-room,  their  mis- 
tress was  just  beginning  to  blame  herself  for 
keeping  them  so  long.  She  arose  hastily  from 
the  music  stool.  "  And  now  it  is  good-by." 
She  laid  a  gentle  hand  on  each  head.  "  Run 
out  and  get  into  the  carriage,"  for  Simmons 
had  been  waiting  all  this  time. 


238  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

She  opened  the  big  oaken  door,  and  waited 
to  see  them  off  —  then  turned  back  with  a  curi- 
ous light  on  her  sallow  face. 

And  Polly  and  Davie  being  set  down  at  the 
gate  of  the  little  brown  house,  raced  up  to  the 
big  green  door,  and  burst  in.  "  I've  a  plant  — 
a  dear,  little  plant,"  announced  Polly,  raising  it 
high. 

"  And  see  my  slate,"  Davie  tried  to  reach 
higher  than  Polly,  "  and  it's  all  my  very  own, — 
it  is,  Mamsie." 


CHAPTER  XVI 
AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S 


must  go  over  and  sit  with  Grand- 
ma  Bascom,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  slowly. 
She  looked  worried  as  she  glanced  up  from  her 
sewing  by  the  window  ;  then  she  smiled  brightly 
over  to  him. 

"  Oh,  Mamsie,"  began  Polly  in  dismay. 

Davie  laid  down  his  slate  carefully  on  the 
table,  and  ran  over  to  Mother  Pepper's  chair. 

"  You  see,  Davie,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  snip- 
ping off  a  little  thread  hanging  from  the  sleeve 
to  the  coat  she  was  trying  to  finish,  "  no  one 
else  can  be  spared,  and  Grandma  mustn't  be 
left  alone,  now  that  she  is  sick." 

Polly  took  two  or  three  quick  little  stitches 
in  the  other  sleeve,  then  she  threw  down  the 
needle.  "  But  Davie  was  going  to  help  Mr. 
Atkins,  you  know,  Mamsie,"  she  cried. 

"  Mr.  Atkins  told  Davie  he  was  only  to  come 
239 


240  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

when  not  wanted  for  anything  else,  you 
know/'  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  not  pausing  in  her 
work. 

"  But,  Mamsie,"  began  Polly  again,  at  sight 
of  Davie' s  face. 

"  No,  no,  Polly,"  said  Mother  Pepper  firmly. 
"  Davie  must  go  to  Grandma  Bascom.  And 
hurry  now,  child,  for  work  as  we  may,  it  will 
be  much  as  ever  we  finish  the  coat  in  time." 
She  said  no  more  to  Davie,  who  stood  silently 
by  her  chair,  and  the  kitchen  became  very 
quiet  except  for  the  ticking  of  the  old  clock  on 
the  shelf. 

"  I'll  —  I'll  go  —  Mamsie,"  said  Davie,  swal- 
lowing hard. 

"That's  Mother's  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper, 
beaming  at  him. 

Davie  wanted  dreadfully  to  take  his  precious 
red-bordered  slate  along  so  that  he  could  prac- 
tise his  writing,  but  since  no  one  said  anything 
about  it,  he  didn't  like  to  ask.  So  he  took 
it  off  from  the  table,  and  going  over  to  the 
shelf,  he  stood  up  on  his  tiptoes  and  deposited 
it  behind  the  old  clock.  Then  he  went  out 
and  down  the  lane  to  Grandma  Bascom's. 

Polly  looked  up  a  few  minutes  after  and  saw 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       241 

that  the  table  was  bare.  "Well,  I'm  glad, 
anyway,"  she  said,  as  she  stopped  to  bite  off  a 
thread,  "  that  Davie  took  his  slate.  Now  he 
can  practise  on  his  writing." 

"  Don't  do  that,  Polly,"  said  Mother  Pepper 
reprovingly ;  "  never  bite  your  thread.  It's 
bad  for  the  teeth,  child." 

"  My  teeth  are  awfully  strong,  Mamsie," 
laughed  Polly,  snapping  her  two  rows  of  little 
white  ones  together. 

"  You  never  can  tell  how  strong  teeth  are 
if  they  are  used  to  bite  threads,"  said  her 
mother ;  "  so  be  sure  you  never  do  it,  Polly." 

"  I  won't,"  promised  Polly,  stitching  merrily 
away  again ;  "  only  it's  so  hard  to  remember. 
I  bite  off  threads  before  I  think,  Mamsie." 

"  That's  about  the  poorest  excuse  a  body  can 
give, — '  don't  think,'  "  remarked  Mrs.  Pepper. 
"  Well,  child,  you  sew  better  every  day." 

"  Do  I,  Mamsie?  "  cried  Polly,  a  warm  little 
thrill  running  up  and  down  her  whole  body, 
and  the  color  crept  into  her  cheek ;  "  do  I, 
really?" 

"You  do  indeed,"  declared  Mrs.  Pepper, 
"  and  such  a  help  as  you  are  to  me !  " 

"  Some  day,"  said  Polly,  sitting  very  straight 


242  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

and  sewing  away  for  dear  life,  "  I'm  going  to 
do  every  single  bit  of  all  the  coats,  Mamsie." 

"And  what  should  I  do  then?"  asked  Mrs. 
Pepper  with  a  laugh. 

"  You  would  sit  right  there  in  your  chair," 
said  Polly,  "  but  you  shouldn't  take  a  single 
stitch  —  not  even  the  smallest,  teentiest  stitch." 

"  O  dear  me !  "  exclaimed  Mother  Pepper, 
as  her  needle  flew  in  and  out. 

"  Because  I'm  going  to  do  'em  all,  every  bit 
of  every  coat,"  declared  Polly  positively,  and 
bobbing  her  brown  head. 

"  Work  isn't  the  worst  thing  that  can  hap- 
pen to  a  body,"  observed  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  But 
to  sit  in  a  chair  with  nothing  to  do  —  oh, 
Polly !" 

Her  look  of  dismay  as  she  said,  "  Oh, 
Polly ! "  was  so  funny  that  Polly  burst  out 
laughing,  and  Mamsie  laughed,  too,  till  the  old 
kitchen  became  cheery  at  once,  and  the  sun 
breaking  out  suddenly  two  bright  little  spots 
danced  out  on  the  floor  to  have  fun  by  them- 
selves. 

Davie  hurried  down  the  lane  to  Grandma's 
and  turned  into  the  small  patch  before  the 
kitchen  door.  The  hens  had  found  an  old 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       243 

beef-bone  and  were  making  an  awful  noise 
fighting  bill  and  claw  for  its  possession. 

Davie  hurried  on  over  the  sill  into  the  bed- 
room. There  was  Grandma  in  bed,  the  gay 
patched  bedquilt  drawn  up  nearly  to  the  big 
frill  of  her  cap,  showing  eyes  that  were  not  in 
the  least  expressive  of  comfort.  When  she 
saw  Davie,  she  pushed  off  the  coverlet.  "  O 
my  Land !  "  she  said.  "  Grandma's  glad  to  see 
you!" 

By  the  side  of  the  bed,  sitting  stiffly  on  the 
edge  of  a  cane-bottom  chair,  sat  the  parson's 
elder  son. 

"  My  mother  told  me  to  ask  how  she  is," 
he  said. 

Grandma  beckoned  to  Davie,  and  patting  the 
coverlet,  he  climbed  up.  "  He's  ben  a-settin' 
there  an'  a-settin'  there  by  the  bed,"  she 
said. 

"  My  mother  told  me  to  ask  how  she  is," 
came  from  Peletiah  in  his  chair,  "and  she 
won't  tell  me.  My  mother  told  me — "  he 
began  again. 

"  He  won't  go  home,"  said  Grandma,  draw- 
ing Davie's  ear  close  to  her  mouth.  "  O  dear 
me !  an'  he's  th'  parson's  son." 


244  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  My  mother  told  me  — "  began  Peletiah 
once  more. 

Just  then  there  was  an  awful  cackle  and 
clatter  out  in  the  kitchen.  The  beef -bone  fight 
concluded,  every  scrap  of  a  mouthful  being 
gobbled  up,  the  hens  had  come  tumbling  in 
over  the  sill  all  together  to  see  what  could  be 
found,  now  that  Grandma  was  sick  in  bed  and 
couldn't  drive  them  out. 

Davie  told  Grandma  this.  He  had  to  say  it 
over  several  times,  his  mouth  under  her  cap- 
frill. 

"  My  sakes !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  you  take  th' 
broom  an'  shoo  'em  out  o'  the  kitchen,  Davie, 
an'  shet  th'  door  tight  after  'em." 

So  Davie  slipped  down  from  the  bed,  glad 
enough  to  have  something  to  do. 

"  My  mother  told  me  — "  began  Peletiah. 

"  An'  you  go  with  him  an'  help  drive  out 
them  pesky  hens,"  cried  Grandma,  rolling  over 
in  bed  to  look  at  him.  "  An'  I'm  well  enough, 
so  you  needn't  come  again,  you  tell  your  Ma." 

Peletiah  never  waited  to  hear  more  than 
the  last  sentence  that  told  him  what  he  had 
come  to  find  out.  He  got  off  from  his  chair  in 
great  satisfaction  and  went  out  into  the  little 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       245 

kitchen  where  Davie  was  waving  the  broom 
over  the  wild  fluttering  tangle  of  hens,  all 
squawking  together,  as  he  tried  to  drive  them 
out  of  doors. 

"  O  dear !  one's  running  into  the  bedroom. 
Keep  her  out,  Peletiah  —  hurry!  "  cried  Davie 
in  great  distress. 

But  Peletiah,  never  having  hurried  in  his 
life,  couldn't  understand  why  he  should  do  so 
now.  So  the  hen  had  plenty  of  time  to  run 
around  him  and  fluffed  and  squawked  her  way 
into  the  bedroom,  where  she  ducked  under 
Grandma's  big  four-poster. 

"  She's  gone  under  Grandma's  bed,"  an- 
nounced Peletiah,  coming  up  to  where  Davie, 
leaning  under  the  big  table,  had  seized  one  hen 
by  the  leg,  and  was  wildly  trying  to  catch 
another.  At  last  he  had  her, —  but  she  turned 
and  gave  him  a  vicious  little  peck  on  his  hand 
as  he  backed  out  holding  on  for  dear  life  to 
them  both. 

"  There's  a  hen  gone  under  Grandma's  bed," 
said  Peletiah  again. 

"  O  dear  —  dear !  "  exclaimed  Davie,  trying 
to  hold  fast  to  the  two  struggling  biddies. 

But  they  flapped  so  violently  that  one  got 


246  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

away,  and  thinking  that  where  another  Mrs. 
Biddy  went,  it  was  easy  to  follow,  this  one 
ran  around  Peletiah's  slow  legs,  and  there  they 
were,  two  of  them,  under  Grandma's  big  four- 
poster. 

Davie  shut  the  door  on  his  vanquished 
fowl,  and  turned  his  hot  tired  face  to  the  par- 
son's son. 

"  We  must  get  them  out." 

"We  can't,"  said  Peletiah.  He  might  be 
slow,  but  he  knew  when  it  was  impossible  to 
accomplish  a  thing.  "  You  can't  get  hens  out 
from  under  a  bed,"  he  said  positively. 

"  We  must,"  said  Davie  in  great  distress  — 
but  just  as  decidedly. 

"  And  she  can't  hear  'em,"  said  Peletiah. 

"  But  they  can't  stay  there,"  persisted  David. 
"  You  stand  one  side  of  the  bed,  and  I'll  stand 
the  other  with  the  broom,  and  drive  'em  out." 
And  he  ran  and  laid  hold  of  the  broom  again. 

"  I  want  the  broom,"  said  Peletiah,  reaching 
a  hand  for  it. 

"  Grandma  told  me  to  drive  out  the  hens." 

"  Well,  she  didn't  say  with  the  broom." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  cried  Davie  eagerly,  "  she  said, 
'  Take  the  broom  and  shoo  'em  out.'  " 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       247 

"  She  said  out  of  the  kitchen  —  she  didn't 
say  bedroom/'  declared  Peletiah,  who  was  noth- 
ing if  not  exact. 

"  So  she  did,"  said  Davie,  giving  up  the 
broom  with  a  sigh.  "  Well,  you  drive  'em 
away  from  your  side,  but  I  must  tell  Grandma 
first" 

So  he  climbed  up  on  the  bed  again  and  put 
his  mouth  close  to  the  big  cap-frill,  and  told 
what  was  going  to  be  done. 

"  Land  alive !  what's  come  to  your  thumb/* 
cried  Grandma  in  great  consternation. 

David  looked  down  at  his  small  thumb. 
The  blood  had  run  down  and  stiffened  into  a 
small  patch  of  red  where  Mrs.  Biddy  had 
nipped  it.  "  It  doesn't  hurt,"  he  said,  trying  to 
stick  his  thumb  away  from  the  eyes  under  the 
cap- frill. 

"  Now  to  think  that  you  sh'd  'a*  come  over 
to  take  care  of  me,  an'  got  hurt,"  moaned 
Grandma.  "  O  me  —  O  my !  what  will  your 
Ma  say !  Well,  you  must  have  some  opedildoc 
on,  right  away.  Run  out  an'  go  to  the  cup- 
board, an'  you'll  find  a  bottle  on  th'  upper  shelf. 
I  put  it  there  to  be  handy,  ef  any  one  gets  hurt. 
My  son  John  mos'  had  his  leg  took  off  one  day 


248  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

when  he  was  mowin'  in  th'  south  medder  an' 
they  come  a-runnin'  for  me." 

Grandma  didn't  think  to  tell  that  the  same 
bottle  couldn't  be  found  on  that  occasion,  but 
she  had  always  been  under  the  impression  that 
it  had  saved  son  John's  life. 

"  Can't  we  drive  out  the  hens  first  ?  "  asked 
Davie,  slipping  off  from  the  bed. 

"  Mercy  no  —  th'  hens  can  wait  —  they're 
com  f 'table  under  th'  bed.  You  run  an'  get 
that  bottle." 

So  Davie  ran  out  into  the  kitchen  while 
Peletiah,  leaning  on  the  broom,  waited  by  the 
side  of  the  bed. 

"  You'll  have  to  git  up  on  a  chair/'  called 
Grandma  from  the  bed,  "  it's  on  th'  upper 
shelf." 

So  David  pulled  up  a  chair  and  climbed  up 
on  it.  But  even  on  his  tiptoes  he  couldn't 
reach,  although  he  tried  and  tried  until  his 
face  got  very  red. 

"  I  can  reach  with  a  box  —  there's  one,"  he 
said.  And  jumping  down  he  ran  over  to  the 
corner,  and  emptied  out  a  few  apples  and  de- 
posited the  box  on  the  chair. 

"Maybe    it's    back    of    th'    teapot,"    said 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       249 

Grandma.  "  I  remember  now  that  teapot  got 
cracked,  and  I  put  it  up  there.  Look  behind 
it,  Davie." 

So  Davie  looked  behind  it,  holding  on  to  the 
edge  of  the  shelf  with  one  hand,  and  feeling 
around  with  the  other.  But  no  bottle  was  in 
sight.  There  were  some  papers  of  herbs,  and, 
as  they  got  stirred  about,  the  little  fine  particles 
coming  out  of  various  holes  made  him  sneeze. 

"  You're  ketchin'  cold,"  said  Grandma,  who 
was  getting  dreadfully  nervous.  "  Mercy 
me  !  what  will  your  ma  say  ef  you  got  sick 
over  here,  an*  she's  had  sech  trouble  with  th' 
measles.  O  dear  —  deary  me !  " 

David  by  this  time  was  in  great  distress  at 
not  being  able  to  find  what  he  was  sent  for. 
And  to  think  of  Grandma  sick  and  worried  — 
that  was  the  worst  of  it —  so  he  wrorked  on. 

"  I  remember  now  —  it's  come  to  me  — 
'twa'n't  on  that  upper  shelf  at  all,"  said 
Grandma.  "  I  took  it  down  one  day,  'cause 
thinks  I  'twon't  be  so  easy  for  me  with  my 
rheumatics  to  stretch  clear  up  there,  an'  I  put 
it  on  the  one  underneath." 

"  I'm  glad  it's  on  the  one  underneath,"  said 
Davie,  joyfully.  So  he  got  down  from  his 


250  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

heights,  and  put  the  box  in  the  corner  and  the 
apples  back  in  it  again.  Then  he  hopped  up 
on  the  chair  and  peered  all  along  the  bottles 
and  various  things  cluttered  up  on  the  shelf. 

"  Is  it  a  very  big  bottle?  "  he  asked,  his  blue 
eyes  roving  anxiously  over  the  array. 

"  O  my  land,  no,"  said  Grandma ;  "  'tain't 
big,  an*  it  ain't  little.  It's  jest  a  bottle/' 

"  Oh,"  said  Davie,  trying  to  think  what  he 
ought  to  leave  out  in  the  search. 

"  You  better  bring  me  one  or  two  that  you 
think  is  it,"  said  Grandma  at  last. 

So  Davie  picking  off  from  the  shelf  some 
"  jest  bottles  "  hurried  with  them  to  Grandma's 
bed. 

"  My  sakes !  "  she  said,  not  looking  at  them 
and  lifting  up  her  hands,  "  what  a  sight  you 
be,  Davie  Pepper !  " 

"  You're  all  dirt,"  said  Peletiah  pleasantly. 

"  I  didn't  s'pose  I  had  any  cobwebs  in  that 
cupboard,"  said  Grandma  in  a  mortified  voice. 
"  An'  you're  all  a-runnin'  with  sweat.  Well, 
you've  got  to  wipe  your  face  —  there's  a  towel 
there  on  th'  bureau." 

"Here  are  the  bottles,"  said  Davie.     His 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       251 

«yes  peered  at  her  under  his  soft  light  hair 
where  the  herbs  had  drifted  down. 

"  Oh,  yes,  so  they  be,"  said  Grandma,  tak- 
ing them.  "  Well,  'tain't  th'  opedildoc  —  none 
of  'em  ain't.  You  wash  your  face,  Davie,  first, 
an'  then  you  can  look  again.  There  won't  be 
no  cobwebs  on  the  lower  shelf." 

So  Davie  took  the  towel  and  ran  out  to  the 
sink,  and  washed  up.  He  shook  his  hair 
pretty  well ;  but  some  of  the  little  green  things 
stayed  in  the  soft  waves.  Then  he  took  the 
bottles  away  from  the  bed  where  Grandma 
laid  them,  and  brought  away  some  more  "  jest 
bottles." 

But  no  opodeldoc  appeared,  and  at  last 
Grandma  lay  back  on  her  pillows  dreadfully 
disappointed. 

"Can't  I  look  some  other  place?"  begged 
Davie,  climbing  up  on  the  bed  to  lay  his  mouth 
against  her  ear. 

"  No  mortal  man  would  know  where  to  tell 
you,"  moaned  Grandma. 

"  O  dear ! "  exclaimed  Davie,  laying  his 
hot  little  cheek  against  her  wrinkled  one. 
"There's  a  bottle  on  that  little  table."  He 


252  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

pointed    over    toward    the    big    old    bureau. 
"May  I  get  it?" 

"  Yes,  but  it  ain't  a  mite  o'  use,"  said  the 
old  lady,  hopelessly. 

So  Davie  slid  off  from  the  bed  once  more, 
and  went  over  to  the  small  table  by  the  side 
of  the  bureau  and  brought  the  bottle  and  put 
it  in  Grandma's  hand. 

"  Land  o'  Goshen,  now  it's  come  to  me ! 
How  glad  I  am  I  remember.  I  took  that  down 
from  th'  shelf  th'  other  day  when  I  cut  my 
finger  peelin'  potatoes." 

"Is  that  the  —  what  you  said?"  gasped 
Davie. 

"  Yes,—  it's  th'  opedildoc." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Davie,  and  his  blue  eyes  shone, 
and  he  clasped  his  hands  in  bliss.  He  didn't 
have  to  go  home  and  tell  Mamsie  he  couldn't 
find  Grandma's  things  when  she  was  sick  and 
he  had  come  to  help. 

"  Now  you  go  to  the  lowest  drawer  in  th' 
bureau,"  said  Grandma,  "  and  get  a  roll  of  old 
white  cotton,  an'  I'll  tie  up  your  thumb." 

David  looked  down  at  his  thumb.  He  had 
forgotten  all  about  it  in  the  general  turmoil. 


AT  GRANDMA  BASCOM'S       253 

"It  doesn't  hurt  any,"  he  said,  "and  I 
washed  the  blood  off." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Grandma,  who  wasn't 
going  to  lose  what  she  dearly  loved  to  do: 
bind  up  any  wounds  that  presented  themselves, 
"  but  a  hurt  is  a  hurt,  and  it's  got  to  be  took 
care  of.  An'  there's  some  blood  a-comin' 
yet." 

A  tiny  drop  or  two  making  its  appearance 
to  her  satisfaction,  she  made  David  sit  up  on 
the  bed  again.  And  at  last  the  little  thumb 
was  all  bound  up,  and  the  cloth  tied  up  with  a 
bit  of  string  she  found  in  the  little  table-drawer 
by  her  bed. 

"An'  now  you  must  go  right  straight  home 
—  an'  you  tell  your  ma  she  don't  need  to 
tetch  that  bandage  till  to-morrow." 

"We  haven't  driven  out  the  hens,"  said 
Peletiah,  still  standing  by  his  broom. 

"Hey?"  said  Grandma.  "What  does  he 
say,  Davie  ?  " 

"  He  says  we  haven't  driven  out  the  hens. 
Oh,  I  forgot  them,  Grandma,"  said  Davie  in  a 
sorry  little  voice.  It  was  impossible  to  be 
more  mortified  than  he  was  at  this  moment. 


254  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Well,  you  can  do  it  now,"  said  Grandma 
composedly ;  "  it's  gittin'  late,  and  hens  knows 
better 'n  most  folks  when  it's  along  about  time 
to  go  to  bed.  They'll  go  easy  —  like  enough." 

David  lifted  up  the  calico  valance  running 
around  the  bed,  and  Peletiah  got  down  on  his 
knees  and  lifted  up  the  part  hanging  down 
his  side.  There  bunched  up  together  were  the 
two  fat  biddies.  They  turned  sleepy  eyes  on 
the  two  boys.  And  when  Peletiah  inserted 
the  broom  under  the  bed,  they  got  up,  shook 
their  feathers,  and  marched  off  to  the  kitchen, 
and  so  out  of  doors,  much  preferring  to  roost 
respectably  on  a  tree  than  under  a  feather  bed. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  FISHING  PARTY 

<6T  VERY  much  wish  I  could  go,"  said 
David  to  himself,  and  he  sighed  clear 
down  in  his  little  heart.  Then  he  crept  out 
from  behind  the  woodpile,  his  favorite  place 
when  he  had  anything  to  think  out,  and 
started  to  run  as  fast  as  he  could  down  the 
lane  into  the  high  road. 

"  Because  if  I  don't  hurry,  Joel  will  ask 
Mamsie  to  let  me  go,  too,  and  I  promised  Mr. 
Atkins  I'd  help  him  keep  store  to-day. 

"  And  besides,"  as  he  panted  on,  "  I  should 
lose  the  ten  cents  he'd  give  me  for  Mamsie." 

So  he  was  all  hot  and  tired  out  when  he 
pushed  open  the  door  to  the  store.  Mr.  Atkins 
was  behind  the  counter. 

"  You  needn't  to  'a'  hurried  so,"  he  said ; 
"  you're  all  het  up,  Davie.  Now  set  down  an' 
rest." 

David,  without  much  breath  to  spare,  said 
255 


256  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

nothing,  as  he  climbed  up  on  the  sugar  barrel, 
his  usual  place  when  there  was  a  chance  to 
sit  down,  and  folded  his  hands  to  wait  for 
orders. 

But  before  these  came,  the  door  was  swung 
violently  open,  and  in  rushed  Joel. 

"What  made  you  run  off?"  he  demanded. 
"Mamsie  says  you  can  go,"  and  he  plunged 
across  the  store  to  David  on  his  barrel. 

"Hulloa!"  cried  Mr.  Atkins,  "hain't  you 
no  time  to  say  good  morning?  Your  ma 
wouldn't  like  you  to  lose  your  manners." 

Joel,  very  much  ashamed,  deserted  David 
and  ran  over  to  the  counter.  "  I'm  sorry,"  he 
began,  his  face  very  red,  and  his  black  stubby 
head  bobbing.  "  I  didn't  mean  to  forget." 

"  All  right,"  said  Mr.  Atkins.  "  Well  now, 
what's  the  rumpus,  pray  tell,  Joel  ?  " 

"  He  can  go,"  said  Joel,  pounding  one  fist 
on  the  counter ;  "  Mamsie  says  he  can." 

"Who,  Davie?" 

"  Yes,  he  can  go.  Mamsie  says  so,  if  you 
don't  want  him."  Then  Joel,  fearing  that  one 
fist  was  not  enough  to  emphasize  his  statement, 
now  began  with  the  other  till  the  pieces  of 
paper  on  the  counter  were  all  in  a  flutter. 


THE  FISHING  PARTY          257 

"Hold  on  there,  Joe,"  said  Mr.  Atkins, 
"  or,  first  you  know,  you'll  have  us  all  a-blow- 
ing  out  the  door." 

Joel  stopped  pounding  and  looked  anxiously 
over  at  the  store  door,  while  Mr.  Atkins 
laughed  and  leaned  over  the  counter. 

"  What's  it  all  about  —  where  do  you  want 
David  to  go?  "  he  asked. 

David,  who  up  to  this  time  had  sat  quite 
still,  now  hopped  from  his  barrel  and  ran  over 
to  Joel.  "  Oh,  I  can't  go/'  he  cried.  "  I'm 
going  to  stay  here  and  help  Mr.  Atkins." 

Joel  whirled  around  and  seized  Davie's 
calico  blouse.  "  You  can,"  he  howled,  "  you 
can,  Davie — " 

"Where  do  you  want  David  to  go?"  de- 
manded the  storekeeper,  between  Joel's  howls 
and  David's  remonstrances. 

"  Fishing,"  said  Joel.  Then  he  turned  a 
face  of  anguish.  "  Do  make  him,"  he  cried, 
still  hanging  to  David's  blouse. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  go,  Davie  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Atkins  with  a  keen  glance  at  him. 

David  stopped  crying.  "  Oh,  I  can't  go," 
and  hung  his  head.  He  wanted  dreadfully  to 
say,  "  No,  sir,"  but  Mamsie  had  always  told 


258  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

them  all  to  speak  the  truth.  So  he  said, 
"  Yes/'  in  a  very  low  voice. 

"  Then  I  guess  you  better  go,"  said  the 
storekeeper. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  cried  Davie,  springing  away 
from  Joel.  "  I  can't  go.  Don't  make  me, 
Mr.  Atkins." 

"  You  mean  because  you  promised  to  help 
me  to-day,  David?"  said  Mr.  Atkins. 

"  Yes,  sir  —  and  do  make  Joel  stop." 
David  was  now  in  such  a  panic  that  Mr.  Atkins 
came  out  from  behind  the  counter.  "  See  here, 
Joe,"  and  he  seized  his  arm,  "  you  get  up  on 
Davie's  barrel  an'  set  still  if  you  can."  And 
before  Joel  quite  knew  how,  there  he  was,  and 
the  storekeeper  and  Davie  were  settling  mat- 
ters by  themselves. 

"  You  see,"  Mr.  Atkins  was  saying,  "  it's 
quite  lucky  that  I  want  to  set  about  some 
things  to-day  in  the  store  where  you  can't  help 
me,  Davie." 

"  Can't  I,  Mr.  Atkins?  "  cried  David. 

"No;  fact  is,  I'd  ruther  you'd  come  to- 
morrow, 'nstead  o'  to-day,"  said  Mr.  Atkins 
decidedly.  "  You  can  go  fishing  as  well  as 
not.  Hop  down,  Joe." 


THE  FISHING  PARTY  259 

No  need  to  tell  Joel.  He  was  off  the  sugar 
barrel  and  down  by  David's  side  in  a  twinkling. 

"  Got  any  fish-pole,  Davie  ?  "  asked  the  store- 
keeper. He  was  back  by  the  counter  now, 
and  rummaging  on  his  shelves. 

Before  David  could  answer,  Joel  piped, 
«  Yes  —  we  made  'em." 

"  An'  fish-hooks  ? "  Mr.  Atkins  went  on, 
bending  over  to  get  a  small  box  on  the  lower 
shelf. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  Joel.  "Mrs.  Blodgett 
gave  us  some  big  pins.  Come  on,  Dave." 

"  Well  now,  David,"  said  the  storekeeper, 
turning  around,  a  fish-pole  in  one  hand  and 
two  or  three  fish-hooks  in  the  other.  "  Here's 
somethin'  for  you.  You've  ben  a  good  boy 
an'  helped  me  fust-rate." 

Joel  rushed  over  to  the  counter,  his  black 
eyes  sparkling.  David  came  up  slowly. 

"  Hold  your  hands,  Davie,"  said  Mr.  Atkins. 
"  Now,  says  I,  I  guess  you  can  ketch  some 
fish.  Hurry  up,  my  boy,"  as  David  hung 
back. 

"Can't  — can't  Joel  have  'em?"  asked 
Davie. 

"  No  —  no,  these  are  for  you.     You've  ben 


260  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

helpin'  me  real  good  in  th'  store."  Mr.  Atkins 
dangled  the  fish-pole  before  the  boys.  Joel 
held  his  breath  and  crowded  closely  up. 

"  Joel  could  catch  more  fish  with  'em/'  said 
Davie,  the  color  dropping  out  from  his  little 
face. 

"  Well,  maybe/'  said  the  storekeeper  with  a 
keen  glance  at  Joel,  who  twisted  his  brown 
hands  tightly  together,  trying  not  to  say  how 
very  much  he  wanted  that  fish-pole  and  those 
splendid  hooks.  "  There,  hold  out  your  hands, 
Davre." 

David  put  forth  a  pair  of  hands  that  shook 
so  that  the  fish-hooks  tumbled  out  of  them,  and 
down  to  the  floor. 

"  I'll  pick  'em  up,"  cried  Joel,  scrambling 
after  them.  He  held  them  a  minute,  trying 
the  sharp  points  on  his  small  thumb,  and  turn- 
ing them  over  and  over  admiringly. 

"  Now  it  just  comes  to  me,  I  do  verily 
b'lieve  I've  got  another  fish-pole  like  David's," 
said  Mr.  Atkins  reflectively,  and  turning  back 
to  his  shelves. 

"Is  it  for  me?  Oh,  is  it,  Mr.  Atkins?" 
screamed  Joel,  and  he  tumbled  the  fish-hooks 


THE  FISHING  PARTY          261 

into  David's  hand  and  scrambled  up  on  the 
counter. 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder,"  said  the  storekeeper 
over  his  shoulder. 

"  Oh  —  oh ! "  Joel  hopped  up  and  down  on 
the  counter,  his  black  eyes  shining  in  anticipa- 
tion. "  Dave,  he's  going  to  give  me  one, 
too  —  he  is  —  he  is !  "  he  screamed. 

David,  both  hands  full  of  his  treasures,  gave 
a  long  blissful  sigh,  then  hugged  them  to  his 
breast,  and  he  laughed  aloud  in  glee. 

"  Mercy  sakes  \  Get  down  off  th'  counter, 
Joe,"  said  Mr.  Atkins.  "  There,"  as  Joel  slid 
to  the  floor,  putting  a  fish-pole,  just  the  size 
for  a  boy  to  swing,  into  the  eager  brown  hand, 
"  an'  there's  th'  hooks.  Be  careful  not  to  git 
'em  stuck  into  you." 

"  They're  goin'  to  be  stuck  into  the  fishes," 
cried  Joel,  seizing  fish-pole  and  hooks.  "  I'm 
going  to  catch  lots  and  lots.  Come  on,  Dave," 
beginning  to  march  to  the  door  in  great  excite- 
ment. Then  he  remembered  and  ran  back. 
"  I  thank  you,"  he  said,  then  dashed  out. 

"  Now,  run  along,  Davie,"  said  Mr.  Atkins, 
"  or  Joe  will  be  down  to  th'  brook  an'  catch 


262  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

every  single  fish  before  you  have  a  chance  to 
get  up  with  him." 

David  stood  quite  still  clasping  his  treasures, 
as  he  tried  to  speak.  His  blue  eyes  shone,  but 
he  couldn't  say  a  word. 

"  I  know,"  said  the  storekeeper  kindly. 
"  Now  you  run  along.  I  shall  need  you  to- 
morrow, for  you  are  a  great  help  to  me, 
David." 

David's  happy  feet  scarcely  seemed  to  touch 
the  ground,  as  he  hurried  after  Joel,  almost 
catching  up  with  him  turning  into  the  gateway 
of  the  little  brown  house. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  boys  could 
settle  down  from  the  excitement  of  showing 
their  treasures,  to  the  work  of  digging  the 
worms.  Polly  came  out  and  helped  them  with 
an  old  iron  spoon.  She  couldn't  work  fast 
and  her  hand  trembled,  all  her  healthy  young 
body  longing  for  the  fun  of  the  expedition. 
But  there  was  no  hope  that  she  could  go  —  for 
she  must  help  Mamsie  to  finish  the  coats 
brought  home  from  the  store  the  day  before. 
And  there  were  the  Henderson  boys  waiting, 
Mrs.  Pepper  being  willing,  since  the  parson's 


THE  FISHING  PARTY  263 

sons  could  go,  to  let  Joel  and  David  have  this 
pleasure. 

At  last  they  were  off  —  all  four  of  them  — 
the  worms  wriggling  about  in  an  old  tin  can 
that  Joel  shook  up  and  down  at  every  step. 

Polly  hung  over  the  old  gate  with  Phronsie 
by  her  side,  to  watch  them  off. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  ever  have  any  fun," 
she  said  to  herself.  "The  little  path  in  the 
woods  is  just  lovely,  and  the  dear  brook!  O 
dear !  —  why  can't  I  ever  go  anywhere !  " 

"  Polly,"  asked  Phronsie,  giving  a  little 
twitch  to  Polly's  blue  checked  apron,  "  what 
is  the  matter?" 

"  I'm  not  crying,"  said  Polly,  turning  her 
face  away. 

"  But  your  mouth  looks  like  crying,"  said 
Phronsie,  peering  around  anxiously  at  her. 

"  Oh,  never  mind,  Pet,"  said  Polly.  Then 
she  drew  a  long  breath.  "  Let  me  alone, 
Phronsie.  I'm  bad  this  morning." 

"  You're  never  bad,"  said  Phronsie  decid- 
edly. "  Do  let  me  see  your  face,  Polly,"  she 
begged. 

Polly  swallowed  hard.     "I'll  tell  you,  Phron- 


264  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

sie,  what  let's  do  —  we'll  race  down  the  road 
to  the  corner  and  then  turn  and  race  back. 
Catch  me  now." 

Phronsie,  all  intent  now  on  the  race,  forgot 
about  Polly's  face.  When  they  came  back  and 
ran  into  the  little  brown  house,  Polly's  cheeks 
were  as  rosy  as  ever,  and  Phronsie  was  laugh- 
ing gleefully. 

When  the  "  lovely  little  path  in  the  woods  " 
was  reached,  Joel  dashed  ahead  and  Ezekiel  at 
his  heels. 

"  You're  so  slow,"  Joel  said,  looking  back  at 
Peletiah.  So  David  had  to  hold  back  his  feet, 
longing  for  a  run,  to  keep  pace  with  the  par- 
son's eldest  son. 

The  consequence  was,  as  they  came  up  to  the 
deep  pool  in  the  silvery  little  brook,  Joel  was 
fixing  his  best  hook  on  the  line  hanging  from 
his  new  pole.  Ezekiel,  too  lost  in  admiration 
to  do  anything  to  get  his  own  made  ready,  was 
hanging  over  him. 

Peletiah  sat  down  and  calmly  looked  around. 
"  My  father  says  you  musn't  splash  the  water 
when  you  fish,"  he  said,  as  Joel  made  frantic 
flings  with  his  fish-line  on  which  a  long  worm 
made  curves  in  the  air. 


THE  FISHING  PARTY  265 

"  I  can  fish,"  shouted  Joel,  standing  on  a  big 
stone  in  the  middle  of  the  pool.  "  See  — 
Come  on,  Dave !  " 

David,  who  never  could  bear  to  stick  a 
worm  on  the  hook,  put  his  hand  into  the  tin 
can,  then  drew  it  back  again.  "  Perhaps  a 
fish  will  bite  without  it,"  he  said  to  himself. 
Then  he  went  farther  down  the  pool  and  be- 
hind some  bushes,  and  cast  in  his  line. 

"  Come  here ! "  shouted  Joel,  from  his  big 
stone,  and  splashing  the  silvery  surface  on  all 
sides.  "Come,  Dave!" 

"  My  father  says  you  mustn't  splash  the 
water  when  you  fish/'  said  Peletiah,  begin- 
ning slowly  to  choose  a  worm  from  the  tin 
can. 

Joel  turned  a  cold  shoulder  to  the  parson's 
son  and  continued  to  beat  the  water  to  right 
and  to  left.  Ezekiel  seeing  there  was  more 
fun  to  be  gained  than  to  stay  with  Peletiah, 
who  was  having  difficulty  with  his  worm, 
stepped  gingerly  across  the  stepping-stones, 
holding  his  pole  carefully  aloft. 

"I'm  coming,"  he  announced. 

"  No,  no,"  cried  Joel  crossly ;  "  this  is  Dave's 
place." 


266  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I'm  coming/'  announced  Ezekiel  pleas- 
antly, as  he  picked  his  way  along. 

"  You  aren't  going  to  get  on,"  declared  Joel, 
spreading  his  small  legs  apart  defiantly. 

"  I'm  the  minister's  son,"  said  Ezekiel,  "  and 
you  must  let  me  get  on." 

"  No,  I  sha'n't,"  said  Joel.  Yet  he  had  an 
awful  feeling  down  deep  in  his  heart  that  he 
ought  to;  but  he  stood  his  ground  sturdily. 

"  And  that  stone  is  mine  as  much  as  it  is 
yours,"  said  Ezekiel,  drawing  near  and  balanc- 
ing his  pole  with  great  care. 

"  No,  it's  mine,  I  got  it  first."  Joel  squared 
his  shoulders,  and  gave  a  swish  to  his  line  that 
sent  his  worm  away  off  among  the  shining 
ripples. 

Just  then  came  a  cry  from  David.  "  I've 
got  a  fish  —  I've  got  a  fish ! "  in  a  jubilant 
little  voice. 

Joel  deserted  his  big  stone  and  flew  past 
Ezekiel  on  the  stepping  stones,  who  im- 
mediately in  great  satisfaction  stepped  on  to 
the  coveted  place. 

"  I'll  help  you  get  him  in,  Dave,"  cried  Joel, 
plunging  along  the  bushes  where  Dave,  with  a 
very  red  face,  was  struggling  to  land  a  heavy 


THE  FISHING  PARTY          267 

weight  on  his  hook.     "  I'll  get  him  for  you." 

Joel  threw  aside  his  fish-pole,  the  long  worm 
still  continuing  his  exercise,  and  dashing  up, 
laid  his  little  brown  hands  next  to  David's,  and 
together  they  pulled  so  hard  that  over  back- 
ward they  went,  and  the  fish-hook  with  an  old 
tangled  root  hanging  to  it  flew  straight  up  in 
the  air. 

"  O  dear !  "  exclaimed  David  in  great  morti- 
fication, as  they  picked  themselves  up  and  be- 
gan to  untangle  the  root,  "  there  wasn't  any 
fish  at  all." 

"  P'raps  you  had  one,  and  he  ate  off  the 
worm,"  said  Joel,  seeing  David's  face. 

David  turned  off  to  the  bushes,  leaving  Joel 
to  get  the  old  piece  of  root  off.  "  I  don't  need 
to  tell  him  that  I  didn't  have  a  worm  on," 
he  said  to  himself,  and  his  hands  worked 
nervously. 

"  I  'most  know  a  fish  stole  your  worm,"  Joel 
kept  saying  as  his  hands  were  busy ;  "  bad  old 
fish ! " 

David's  cheeks  got  so  hot  that  he  came  out 
of  the  shelter  of  the  bushes.  Could  he  go 
home  to  Mamsie  without  telling  Joel  all  about 
it  ?  Without  stopping  to  think,  he  plunged  up 


268  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

to  Joel's  side.     "  I  didn't  stick  a  worm  on." 

"Didn't  stick  a  worm  on?"  repeated  Joel 
in  amazement,  dropping  fish-hook,  tangle  of 
root,  and  all. 

"  No,"  said  David  in  a  miserable  little  voice. 
"  I  didn't,  Joel."  Then  he  sat  down  on  the 
grass,  and  hid  his  face. 

"  Hoh !  "  sniffed  Joel,  "  you  can't  fish  —  any 
more  than  —  than  —  a  girl." 

"  Oh,  Joel,  I  can,"  burst  out  Davie,  leaping 
to  his  feet.  "  I  can,  Joel  —  and  I  will  put  on 
a  worm,"  but  he  shivered. 

"  You  needn't,"  said  Joel,  turning  back  to 
the  root-tangle ;  "  I'll  put  'em  all  on  for  you,  — 
I  like  to." 

"  I've  got  one !  "  screamed  Ezekiel. 

Sure  enough !  There  was  the  minister's  son 
having  the  greatest  difficulty  in  his  excitement 
to  keep  his  footing  on  the  big  stone,  swinging 
his  line,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  little 
speckled  trout  shining  in  the  sunshine. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
DANGER 

JOEL  threw  down  the  fish-pole,  root-tangle, 
and  all,  and  rushed  wildly  over  to  Ezekiel 
on  the  big  stone.     "  Let  me  see  him  —  let 
me !  "  he  cried. 

"  I  shall  take  it  home  for  my  father/'  said 
Ezekiel  in  proud  possession,  holding  up  the 
little  speckled  beauty  dangling  from  the  hook, 
as  he  hurried  over  the  stepping  stones. 

"  And  I  shall  catch  one  and  take  it  home  to 
my  mother,"  announced  Peletiah,  where  he  sat 
by  the  side  of  the  brook.  He  hadn't  even 
chosen  his  worm,  but  was  taking  one  after 
another  from  the  tin  can,  and  laying  them 
down  on  the  grass. 

"  They're   all   running   away,"   cried  Joel, 
flying  up  with  his  own  fish-pole  and  David's, 
the  root  tangle  still  hanging.     "  Oh,  they're 
all  running  away,  Peletiah  Henderson." 
269 


270  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  They  can't  run/'  said  Peletiah,  still  busy 
trying  to  decide  which  worm  would  be  most 
likely  to  entice  a  nice  fish,  "because  they 
haven't  got  legs." 

"And  there  aren't  but  a  teenty-weenty 
few,"  cried  Joel  aghast  at  the  loss.  "  Oh, 
you're  a  bad  boy,  Peletiah  Henderson,"  he 
added  wrath  fully,  as  he  examined  the  contents 
of  the  tin  can. 

"  I'm  not  a  bad  boy  —  I'm  the  minister's 
son,"  said  Peletiah  calmly.  And  selecting  the 
longest  and  the  fattest  of  the  remaining  worms, 
he  proceeded  to  fasten  it  on  his  hook. 

"  I  don't  care.  You're  the  baddest  of  the 
bad  boys,  and  you  shan't  have  any  more  of 
these  worms."  With  that  Joel  huddled  up  the 
tin  can  within  his  arms,  and  marched  off  to  a 
safe  corner  back  of  the  bushes. 

"  See  my  fish,"  cried  Ezekiel,  coming  up  to 
swing  his  line  so  that  all  the  others  could  have 
a  good  view.  "  I  caught  the  first  one." 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Joel,  busy  over  David's 
tangled  hook ;  "  I'll  catch  the  next  one."  Then 
he  twitched  off  the  piece  of  root,  stuck  on  a 
worm,  David  hurrying  off  to  cover  his  eyes,  — 


DANGER  271 

and  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  in  a  minute  he  was 
over  on  the  big  stone. 

But  he  didn't  get  the  fish.  Instead  it  was 
Davie's  worm  that  met  the  eyes  of  a  fat  old 
father  trout  that  came  lazily  down  the  little 
purling  brook.  He  had  always  warned  his 
children,  had  this  fat  old  trout,  to  beware  of 
boys,  and  dancing  bugs  and  worms.  But  he 
was  tired  on  this  day,  and  hungry,  having 
eaten  nothing  since  a  breakfast  of  two  flies. 
And  the  first  thing  he  knew  a  juicy  morsel  was 
in  his  mouth.  But  alas!  he  couldn't  swallow 
it  —  for  something  stuck  fast  and  held  him 
pinned.  And  one  of  those  same  dreadful  boys 
was  shouting,  "  I  have  got  one,  Joel ! " 

When  the  fat  old  trout  was  laid  on  the  grass, 
all  the  boys  stood  around  it  in  speechless 
admiration. 

Finally  Joel  found  his  tongue.  "  Dave 
caught  that,"  he  announced  proudly.  "  My 
brother  Dave  caught  that  all  by  himself." 

"  It  was  Joel's  worm,"  said  Davie. 

"I  caught  the  first  one,"  said  Ezekiel.  He 
couldn't  take  his  eyes  from  the  big  fish.  At 
last  he  ran  and  tucked  his  little  trout  in  the 


272  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

basket,  and  shut  the  cover  down  very  tightly. 

"  Dave's  is  bigger,"  boasted  Joel,  strutting 
off.  "Hoh !  your  fish  is  a  squinching  little  one, 
Ezekiel  Henderson." 

"  I  shall  catch  one  now,"  announced  Peletiah, 
going  pompously  off  over  the  stepping-stones, 
and  carrying  his  fish-pole  with  a  careful  hand. 

Joel  dashed  wildly  past  him,  reaching  the  big 
stone  first.  "  This  is  my  place,"  he  declared ; 
"  I  found  it." 

"  I  shall  stand  on  that  stone,"  declared  Pele- 
tiah decidedly,  and  crowding  up  to  get  both  feet 
on  it. 

As  there  wasn't  room  for  more  than  one, 
the  two  boys  couldn't  raise  their  arms  enough 
to  swing  the  fish  lines,  so  they  whirled  around 
and  around,  each  trying  to  get  the  best  place 
for  their  feet.  At  last  Peletiah  made  an  un- 
lucky movement,  his  foot  slipped  and  in  he 
splashed,  fish-pole  and  all. 

"  I'll  pull  you  out,"  cried  Joel,  in  the  greatest 
dismay,  bending  over  the  pool.  O  dear,  if  the 
parson's  son  should  drown! 

"  I  don't  want  you  to,"  said  Peletiah,  getting 
up  and  paddling  to  the  stepping-stones.  Then 
he  marched  over  them  in  great  dignity,  and 


"DAVE   CAUGHT   THAT. 


DAVE   CAUGHT   THAT   ALL   BY   HIMSELF  I 

Page  271. 


DANGER  273 

dripping  water  dreadfully.  "  I  am  going 
home,  and  I  shall  tell  my  mother  how  you 
crowded  me  off  the  big  stone." 

Joel  deserted  the  big  stone  by  a  single  bound. 

"  Don't  —  O  dear!  —  Mamsie  will  feel  — 
don't,  Peletiah,"  he  begged,  plunging  franti- 
cally after  him. 

David  deserted  his  big  fish,  having  sat  down 
on  the  grass  by  its  side,  happy  in  the  thought 
of  taking  it  home  to  Mamsie,  to  run  up  and 
mingle  his  entreaties  with  those  of  Joel. 

"  I  shall  stay  and  catch  a  bigger  fish  than 
David's,"  announced  Ezekiel,  preparing  to  se- 
lect another  worm. 

"  I  am  going  home,"  declared  Peletiah,  stalk- 
ing off.  Instead  of  taking  the  wood  path,  he 
turned  into  a  meadow  where  a  number  of  cows 
were  grazing. 

Joel,  with  no  thought  of  the  fish-pole  he  was 
leaving  behind  but  only  that  he  must  prevent 
Peletiah  from  taking  such  a  dreadful  tale  to 
the  parsonage,  plunged  after  him.  And  Davie, 
recklessly  abandoning  the  big  fish,  followed 
in  the  greatest  distress. 

Peletiah  kept  swinging  his  fish-pole  and 
stalked  on. 


274  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

Suddenly  there  was  a  great  noise.  It  was 
just  like  a  roar  of  wind  —  then  a  queer  sound, 
and  that  was  a  bellow,  and  an  old  bull,  that 
didn't  like  anybody,  least  of  all  a  boy,  to 
come  swinging  things  around  in  the  field  that 
belonged  to  him  and  to  the  cows,  gave  a  snort 
and  came  charging  down  across  the  meadow. 

Joel  saw  him  first.  "  The  bull  —  the  bull !  " 
he  screamed. 

Peletiah,  quite  lost  to  everything  but  the 
story  he  was  carrying  to  the  parsonage,  kept 
on  his  dignified  way,  swinging  his  fish-pole  tri- 
umphantly. 

Joel  took  a  long  breath.  By  turning  off  he 
could  run  by  a  cross-cut  and  perhaps  make 
the  bull  forget  Peletiah.  Then  he  swung  his 
arms,  and  made  an  awful  noise.  The  bull 
didn't  like  this  a  bit  better,  for  here  were  two 
impudent  boys  instead  of  one.  So  he  stopped 
just  a  second,  trying  to  decide  which  one  to  go 
for  first,  and  Peletiah,  turning,  for  once  in  his 
life  was  anything  but  slow  in  the  way  he  made 
for  the  fence.  This  decided  the  bull,  who 
now  gave  his  whole  attention  to  Joel,  and  the 
small  boy  pattering  after. 

"  Run  for  the  fence,  Dave/'  shouted  Joel, 


DANGER  275 

zigzagging  from  right  to  left,  trying  to  confuse 
the  bull,  who  now  was  getting  thoroughly  mad. 

David  gave  one  dreadful  scream  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a  man,  off  in  the  road  where  Peletiah 
was  now  safe.  But  he  didn't  run  for  the 
fence;  on  the  contrary,  he  did  just  what  Joel 
was  doing,  darted  first  to  right,  then  to  left, 
so  that  between  the  two  boys  the  bull  was 
troubled  in  his  mind  which  one  to  toss  up  to- 
ward the  sky. 

The  first  thing  either  of  them  knew,  some- 
body was  saying,  "  Til  take  care  of  the  bull  — 
run  for  the  fence !  "  and  a  tall  figure  was  dash- 
ing in  to  the  thick  of  things  and  swinging  his 
hat. 

By  this  time,  the  bull  didn't  know  where  he 
was  nor  what  course  to  pursue,  ^.nd  before 
any  of  them  quite  knew  it,  Joel  and  David  were 
over  the  fence,  and  the  tall  man  was  bending 
over  them  where  they  had  tumbled  flat  down  on 
their  faces  in  the  grass. 

"  Well,  little  chap,  I've  paid  my  debt  to  you," 
he  was  saying,  bending  over  David.  But 
David  was  beyond  hearing  anything,  having 
fainted  clear  away.  So  the  tall  young  man 
took  him  and  carried  him  across  the  road  where 


276          OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

there  was  a  little  thread  of  a  stream  of  water 
that  ran  away  by  itself  from  the  brook,  Joel 
stumbling  after,  picking  out  the  grass  that  flew 
in  his  mouth  as  he  tumbled  off  from  the  fence. 

"  Now  then,"  the  tall  young  man  smiled  as 
David  opened  his  eyes,  "  little  chap,  you're  com- 
ing round  all  right,"  and  he  wrung  the  water 
out  of  his  handkerchief,  with  which  he  had 
bathed  the  small,  white  face. 

And  David  looked  up  into  the  eyes  of  the 
visitor  who  had  come  uninvited  to  Mr.  Atkins' 
store,  to  go  afterward  to  Cherryville  jail. 

The  color  came  flying  back  into  David's 
cheeks,  and  he  sat  straight. 

"  Did  they  hurt  you  there  ?  "  he  cried  anx- 
iously. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  the  young  man. 
"I'm  just  out  to-day.  Good  luck  for  you," 
he  said  under  his  breath. 

The  old  bull,  very  angry  that  the  cows  should 
see  his  discomfiture,  was  snorting  and  pawing 
the  earth  over  in  the  meadow.  David  shiv- 
ered and  hid  his  eyes  on  the  young  man's 
sleeve. 

Joel,  who  hadn't  taken  his  gaze  from  the 
stranger,  crowded  up  as  closely  as  he  could. 


DANGER  277 

"  Who  are  you,  Mr.  Man  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Didn't  you  ever  hear  of  a  fellow  who  tried 
to  rob  the  store  in  Badgertown?"  asked  the 
stranger,  fixing  his  keen  eyes  on  him. 

Joel  tumbled  back,  "  Are  you  the  burglar?  " 

"He  didn't  take  anything,"  cried  Davie 
hastily. 

"  Good  reason  why.  This  little  chap 
wouldn't  let  me/'  said  the  young  man.  Then 
he  laughed. 

"And  you  —  you  jumped  in  front  of  the 
bull,"  gasped  Joel. 

"That  was  easy  enough/'  said  the  young 
man.  "  I  couldn't  have  this  little  chap  hurt. 
He  was  good  to  me,  and  didn't  want  me  to 
be  hurt." 

"  I  think  you  are  a  good  burglar,  Mr.  Man," 
said  Joel,  crowding  up  closely.  "  I  said  I'd 
have  smashed  you  if  I'd  been  there  in  the 
store  —  but  I  don't  want  to  now." 

The  young  man  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  I  could  have  done  it,"  said  Joel,  very  much 
nettled  at  the  laugh  —  and  he  doubled  up  his 
small  fists. 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say/'  said  the  young  man,  wip- 
ing his  eyes.  Then  he  saw  Joel's  face. 


278  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  Well,  you  have  got  a  pair  of  fists,  to  be  sure ! " 
he  declared  admiringly. 

Joel  spread  his  little  brown  hands,  then 
doubled  them  up  again  and  flirted  them  in  the 
air,  very  much  pleased. 

"  Yes,  indeed/'  said  the  young  man.  "  Well 
now,  don't  use  them  any  more  than  you  can 
help.  Good  luck  to  you,  little  chap,"  he  turned 
to  David,  and  was  gone  down  the  road. 

"  I  wish  he  hadn't  gone,"  mourned  David, 
looking  after  him.  "  Perhaps  he  would  have 
come  with  us  to  Mamsie." 

That  made  Joel  think  of  the  two  fish-poles 
and  the  big  fish.  "  I  must  get  them,"  he  said, 
springing  up.  Just  then  down  the  road  that  he 
had  struck  from  the  wood-path  came  Ezekiel, 
who  didn't  find  it  so  pleasant,  after  all,  being 
alone.  He  was  carrying  all  the  things,  even 
the  tin  can  that  had  one  worm  in  it. 

Peletiah,  long  before  this  at  the  parsonage, 
was  sitting  on  the  back  steps.  Having  run 
every  step  of  the  way  home,  a  thing  he  couldn't 
remember  ever  doing  in  his  life  before,  he  still 
sat  thinking  it  all  over.  It  didn't  seem  quite 
so  nice  a  thing  to  do,  to  carry  the  tale  into 
the  parson's  study,  as  at  first  it  had  appeared 


DANGER  279 

to  him.  And  when  he  thought  of  the  bull,  as 
Joel's  cry  had  warned  him,  he  ducked  his  head 
down  between  his  arms.  And  although  he  had 
seen  the  young  man  save  the  situation,  he 
couldn't  forget  Joel  waving  his  arms,  and  tell- 
ing him  to  "  run  for  the  fence." 

Joel  was  occupied  for  the  next  few  hours 
after  reaching  the  little  brown  house  and  the 
story  all  through  with,  in  pretending  he  was 
the  bull  and  dashing  after  imaginary  per- 
sons; and  then  when  tired  of  that,  he  said  he 
was  going  to  be  the  burglar. 

"  Don't  call  him  that/'  begged  David,  who 
had  shivered  all  through  Joel's  performance. 
"  Mamsie,  please  don't  let  Joel  call  him  that." 

"No,  Joel,  you  mustn't/'  said  Mrs.  Pepper; 
"  say,  instead,  *  How  good  he  was ! ' 

"  He  said  I  had  good  fists,"  said  Joel,  dou- 
bling up  his  little  brown  hands  to  view  them 
affectionately. 

"  Fists  are  to  be  used  only  when  you  are 
sure  it  is  right  to  do  so,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 
"  Remember  that,  Joey." 

"  Oh,  hello !  "  Joel,  at  last  obliged  to  drop 
his  imaginary  performances  as  a  bull,  had 
run  out  to  pick  up  some  kindlings.  By  the  side 


28o          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

of  the  woodshed  he  ran  against  a  boy.  It  was 
Peletiah. 

"  I  didn't  tell  my  father  and  my  mother  you 
wouldn't  let  me  get  on  my  big  stone,"  he  said. 

"  It  was  my  stone,"  declared  Joel,  squaring 
up  to  him.  "  I  got  on  it  first." 

"  You  got  off  of  it,"  said  Peletiah,  "  and  that 
made  it  mine  when  I  got  on." 

"  I  was  coming  back  when  I  got  Davie's  fish- 
hook fixed,"  said  Joel  stubbornly.  "  It  was 
my  big  stone." 

"  It  was  mine,  and  you  came  up  and 
scrouged,"  said  Peletiah,  bobbing  his  tow  head 
obstinately. 

"  I  wish  your  father  would  preach  at  you, 
and  preach  at  you  every  single  Sunday,"  cried 
Joel  vindictively,  kicking  his  rusty  little  shoe 
in  the  dirt. 

"  My  father  doesn't  preach  at  us,"  cried  Pele- 
tiah calmly.  "  He  preaches  at  other  people." 

"  Well,  I  wish  a  bear  would  come  out  of 
the  woods  and  eat  you,"  said  Joel. 

Peletiah  looked  all  about  him,  his  glance  even 
taking  in  the  hills  ranging  about  Badgertown. 
"  There  aren't  any  bears  around  here,"  he  said 
calmly. 


DANGER  281 

"  Well,  maybe  they  could  come  from  some- 
where else,"  said  Joel,  his  round  face  bright- 
ening. 

Just  then  Mrs.  Pepper  appeared  in  the  door- 
way, and  David  just  behind  her.  "  Peletiah, 
you  are  just  the  one  I  want  to  see,"  she  cried. 
She  had  a  blue  plate  covered  with  a  napkin  in 
her  hand.  "  Now,  David,  you  tell  him,"  look- 
ing down  at  him.  But  David  hung  back.  So 
Mamsie  had  to  do  it  for  him.  "  David  wants 
you  to  take  half  of  this  nice  big  fish  to  your 
mother,  as  Ezekiel  is  going  to  give  his  to  your 
father."  She  came  down  from  the  step,  and 
put  the  plate  in  his  hand. 

Peletiah,  standing  quite  still,  looked  at  the 
blue  plate  covered  with  the  napkin.  Then  fie 
moved  off  slowly.  Joel  ran  after  him. 

"  I  don't  want  the  bears  to  eat  you,"  he  said. 

"  And  you  can  have  the  big  stone  if  you  want 
it,"  said  Peletiah. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
"POLLY  KISSED  IT!"  SAID  DAVIE 

S»  it  beat  all,"  said  Mr.  Atkins, 
how  he  come  in  and  begun  looking 
around  —  " 

"  You  mean  th'  Doctor,"  interrupted  Dea- 
con Blodgett,  reaching  over  for  a  scrap  of 
cheese  to  put  on  his  cracker.  He  knew  the 
story,  having  heard  it  a  good  dozen  times,  but 
he  wanted  some  of  the  other  ears  to  be  intro- 
duced to  it. 

"Who  am  I  a-talkin'  of,  ef  'tain't  Doctor 
Fisher?"  said  Mr.  Atkins  irritably. 

"Of  course,"  said  the  Deacon,  helping  him- 
self to  another  cracker  to  top  off  the  cheese. 

It  had  just  begun  to  drizzle,  the  light  rain 
keeping  customers  within  the  store,  and  at  such 
a  time  Mr.  Atkins  opened  his  cracker-box  and 
laid  out  his  cheese-knife.  He  was  delighted 
at  the  chance  of  village  gossip,  and  besides  they 


"POLLY  KISSED  IT!"          283 

would  all  more  than  make  up  by  their  orders 
for  the  price  of  the  entertainment. 

"  Yes,  he  come  in,  and  he  looked  around  this 
way  and  that,  an'  I  kep'  still,  for  th'  Doctor,  you 
all  know,  has  a  way  of  his  own,  an'  he  would 
explain  in  good  time,  an'  pretty  soon  he  says, 
1  Ain't  any  Pepper  children  around,  hey  ?  ' 

"  An'  I  says  '  No/  an'  he  took  one  more  good 
look,  for  he  says,  '  I'm  not  so  sure  about  Joel, 
for  he  can  get  everywhere  in  just  about  a 
minute/  an'  I  says,  *  Yes,  I  know  that,  but  Joel 
is  to  home,  for  he  came  tearin'  in  here  half  an 
hour  ago,  an'  he  said  he  must  hurry  an'  git  some 
corn  meal,  for  he'd  got  to  help  Polly/  An'  I 
waited  on  him  quick,  I  tell  you,  an'  he  tore  off." 

"  '  I  guess  I'm  safe  then  — '  said  Dr.  Fisher. 
'  Well,  I  want  to  see  a  stove/ 

"  *  A  stove ! '  says  I. 

" '  I  said  a  stove/  said  Dr.  Fisher,  quite 
calm.  '  Come  now,  let's  see  if  you've  got  one 
to  suit/ 

"  '  I've  got  a  per  fee'  beauty/  says  I,  an'  so  I 
had  —  ordered  a  new  one  for  old  Miss  Pringle 
an'  then  she  didn't  take  it — said  her  old  one 
acted  better  after  all,  an'  she'd  concluded  to  try 
it  a  spell  longer.  So  me  an'  th'  Doctor  went 


284  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

out  to  the  '  Extension '  [the  shed  where  the 
storekeeper  kept  his  stoves  when  he  had  any, 
and  the  pots  and  pans  required  by  the  village 
housekeepers] .  *  Ain't  that  splendid  ? '  says  I, 
pointing  to  it. 

"  Th'  Doctor  danced  around  that  stove  — 
you  know  how  he  steps  off  on  the  tips  of  his 
toes  when  he's  pleased  —  an'  set  his  spectacles 
a  dozen  times  to  get  a  better  view,  an'  finally  he 
says,  '  Don't  you  s'pose  she'd  like  it? '  I  never 
see  him  so  anxious  about  anythin'. 

" '  Why  don't  you  get  your  sister  to  come 
an'  pick  it  out  for  herself?'  I  says,  finally. 
He  kep'  a-dancin'  around  so. 

""Tain't  for  my  sister,'  he  says;  *  it's  for 
Polly  Pepper.' 

"  '  O  my  land ! '  says  I. 

"  '  Yes,  it  would  go  to  any  one's  heart  to  see 
that  little  girl.' 

"  Dr.  Fisher  stopped  dancing  and  faced  me 
quite  severe.  '  Why  —  well,  I  don't  know 
what  to  say  when  I  think  of  her.  An'  now  her 
eyes  — ' 

"  Well  then,  th'  Doctor  whips  out  that  big 
handkerchief  of  his,  an'  he  blows  his  nose  — 
pretended  he'd  got  an  awful  cold  —  till  you'd'a' 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          285 

thought  'twas  Gabriel's  trump,  an5  then  he  says, 
'  I'm  goin'  to  send  her  a  new  stove  in  place  of 
that  broken-down  old  thing  that  Ben  stuffs  up 
with  putty,  an'  — ' 

"  An'  I  says,  '  O  my  land,  I  didn't  know 
that! '  an'  I  was  all  struck  of  a  heap  to  think 
I  might  'a'  give  Polly  a  stove,  an'  eased  up 
things  a  mite  for  the  little-brown-house  folks, 
an'  th'  Doctor  grabs  my  arm,  an'  he  says,  '  It's 
to  be  kep'  quite  secret.  Be  sure,  Atkins,  you 
don't  let  a  soul  know/  —  an'  I  said  I  wouldn't, 
cross  my  heart,  an'  all  that.  An'  then  I  put 
my  foot  in  it,  for  I  says,  '  Let  me  give  half  o' 
that  stove,  Doctor.' 

"  I  tell  you,  he  was  real  mad  then.  Did  you 
ever  see  th'  little  Doctor  mad?  Well,  he 
swelled  up  till  he  actually  looked  big,  an'  his 
eyes  —  my  gracious !  they  was  so  fierce,  I  says, 
'  'Xcuse  me/  an'  then  he  ca'med  down,  an' 
told  me  th'  stove  was  to  go  that  afternoon. 
An'  then  he  paid  me,  an'  bolted  out  as  if  he'd 
ben  caught  doin'  somethin'  bad." 

"  Hem !  "  Deacon  Blodgett  snipped  off  an- 
other crumb  of  cheese,  looking  around  to  see 
the  effect  on  the  group. 

A  woman  over  behind  the  sugar-barrel  burst 


286  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

out,  "  He's  awful  good,  Dr.  Fisher  is.  He 
cured  my  Jenny  of  pneumony,  an'  he  never 
took  a  cent  o'  pay  for  it."  She  wiped  her  eyes 
with  her  apron. 

"  Beats  all  how  he  takes  care  o'  those  old 
maid  sisters  o'  his'n,"  broke  in  Farmer  Jones. 
"  It's  bad  enough  to  have  one  old  maid  fas- 
tened on  you  —  but  two  —  "  he  gave  a  long 
whistle,  "  that's  worse'n  pisen." 

"  Mebbe  th'  Lord'll  let  him  shift  'em  pretty 
soon  —  they  do  say  there's  a  rich  wid'wer  over 
to  Stockton  shinin'  up  to  Sarah,  an'  that'll  be  a 
chance  for  th'  Doctor  to  get  free." 

"  Hoh !  well,  Sarah  ain't  Laviny,  an'  she's 
homely  as  a  hedge- fence." 

"  Sarah  Fisher  always  said  whoever  took  her, 
must  take  Laviny,  too.  They  hain't  never  ben 
separated,  an'  they  never  will  be." 

"  Hoh ! "  said  Farmer  Jones  again.  "  Well, 
th'  little  Pepper  gal  didn't  go  blind,  after  all." 

Mr.  Atkins  pounded  on  the  counter  with  his 
red  fist,  so  that  the  group  jumped.  (<  Blind! " 
he  roared,  "  Polly  Pepper  blind  ?  Well,  I  guess 
not.  Th'  Lord  wouldn't  let  sech  a  thing  hap- 
pen, an'  so  He  got  Dr.  Fisher  to  take  care  of 
her  eyes.  Oh,  my  soul  an'  body !  there's  some- 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          287 

thin'  in  th'  world  for  that  girl  to  do.  I  dunno 
what  'tis,  but  she's  got  to  have  a  pair  o'  eyes 
to  do  it  with." 

"Hem!"  said  Deacon  Blodgett  again. 
"  Well,  now  do  tell  us  how  th'  stove  got  there, 
Atkins." 

"  You'd  orter  hear  Davie  tell  it,"  the  store- 
keeper chuckled  with  glee,  and  rubbed  his  hands 
together  —  then  chuckled  again.  "  I  made  him 
go  over  it  one  day  —  you  know  he  helps  me 
keep  store." 

"  What,  that  scrap  of  a  boy  ?  You're  jokin', 
Atkins,"  said  one  of  the  men. 

"  I  ain't  jokin',  Tom,"  Mr.  Atkins  drew 
himself  up  and  declared;  "Davie  may  be  a 
scrap  of  a  boy,  but  he's  worth  more'n  some 
men.  An'  it  beats  all  how  he  can  tell  th'  truth. 
An'  I  never  see  nothin'  like  it  for  manners  he 
has  —  he  can  keep  shop  real  elegant,"  the 
storekeeper  wound  up  in  pride. 

"  Somethin'  different  from  Joel,"  laughed 
Tom. 

"  Well,  now,  Joel's  all  right,"  declared  Mr. 
Atkins. 

"  I'd  ruther  have  Joel,"  said  Tom.  "  David 
is  such  a  meek  little  mouse." 


288          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  David  Pepper  ain't  sech  a  meek  little  mouse 
as  you  think,"  said  Mr.  Atkins  decidedly. 

"  That's  so,"  said  Farmer  Jones.  "  Remem- 
ber the  burglar  in  this  very  shop  here,  Tom." 

"  To  be  sure ! "  said  Tom,  "  I  forgot  that  he 
was  th'  boy." 

"Them  two  boys  is  as  diffrunt  as  can  be," 
said  the  storekeeper,  "  but  they  can't  be  beat, 
neither  one  on  'em.  And  don't  you  never  let 
any  one  call  David  a  meek  little  mouse,  Tom 
Sanders.  He's  little,  but  he's  got  a  mighty  lot 
o'  grit  aboard.  Why,  here  he  comes  now ! " 
he  cried  joyfully. 

Every  one  whirled  around  as  the  door  opened 
and  David  Pepper  walked  in. 

"Well,  well,  Davie,"  said  Mr.  Atkins,  as 
David  went  up  to  the  counter,  "  so  you  came  to 
help  me  keep  store,  did  you?  Why,  I  didn't 
'xpect  you  to-day,  as  it  rains.  Well,  I'm  glad 
you've  come  though." 

"  I  can  sweep  up  the  ell,"  said  Davie,  "  that 
you  said  yesterday  I  was  to  do  this  morning," 
and  he  hurried  off  for  the  broom. 

"  So  I  did  —  so  I  did,"  replied  the  store- 
keeper, "  an'  that  made  you  come  in  the  rain  ?  " 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          289 

"Yes,"  said  David,  his  mind  intent  on  the 
broom  and  the  dust-pan. 

"Well,  see  here  — hold  on  a  bit,"  called 
Mr.  Atkins.  "  Come  here,  David.  Now  —  " 
as  David  hurried  back,  "  I  want  you  to  tell  us 
how  the  stove  Dr.  Fisher  gave  Polly  got  to  the 
little  brown  house  as  a  surprise.  Set  up  on 
th'  sugar-barrel  an'  tell  us,  Davie." 

All  the  color  in  David's  body  seemed  to 
rush  into  his  little  round  cheek,  as  he  stood 
there  holding  the  broom.  He  looked  helplessly 
around,  and  his  eyes  fastened  on  Deacon  Blod- 
gett  pleadingly. 

"  I  would,  Davie,"  said  the  Deacon  kindly. 
"  It's  a  rainy  day  an'  we'd  like  to  hear  it  —  an' 
'twould  make  us  like  th'  Doctor  better." 

To  make  everybody  "  like  th'  Doctor  bet- 
ter "  seemed  to  Davie  a  thing  to  do.  Every 
bit  of  the  color  went  out  of  his  cheeks.  He 
set  down  the  broom,  and  with  a  catch  in  his 
breath,  he  mounted  the  sugar-barrel  and  folded 
his  hands  in  his  lap. 

"  Dr.  Fisher  gave  Polly  the  stove,"  he  began 
solemnly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Atkins  quickly.     "  We 


290  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

all  know  that,  Davie.  Now  tell  us  all  about 
how  it  got  into  the  little  brown  house  an*  was 
set  up.  Begin  at  th'  very  beginnm',  Davie." 

"  I  would,  Davie,"  said  Deacon  Blodgett 
encouragingly. 

David  drew  a  long  breath  and  began  again  — 
while  the  circle  crowded  up  around  the  sugar- 
barrel. 

"  Mamsie  told  us  to  stay  in  the  bedroom,  and 
to  play  something.  She  said  we  might  make 
just  as  much  noise  as  we  wanted  to,  for  Polly 
musn't  hear  things  in  th'  kitchen,  and  we 
mustn't  come  out  until  she  called  us.  And 
Polly  said, '  Oh,  can't  we  play  in  the  kitchen  be- 
cause the  bedroom  is  so  small  ? '  and  we 
wanted  to  play  'Old  Father  Dubbin,'  because 
Phronsie  —  " 

"Who's  old  Father  Dubbin?"  interrupted 
Tom,  the  young  farmer. 

"  He  isn't  anybody,"  said  Davie,  shaking  his 
head.  "  Polly  made  him  up,  and  we  play  him 
when  she  lets  us." 

"Oh,"  said  Tom,  "I  thought  'twas  some- 
body in  Badgertown  —  new  folks,  mebbe, 
who'd  moved  in." 

"  Go  on,  Davie,"  begged  the  woman,  whose 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          291 

daughter  Jenny  had  been  cured  of  pneu- 
monia by  Dr.  Fisher,  and  she  pressed  further 
into  the  circle. 

"  Mamsie  said, '  No,  Polly,  you  must  all  stay 
in  the  bedroom  until  I  call  you,'  and  Mamsie 
patted  Polly's  head,  on  top  of  the  bandage, 
and  —  " 

"Bandage?"  repeated  another  of  the  men 
in  the  listening  group. 

"  Yes,  don't  you  see  Polly's  eyes  were  tied 
up."  Davie's  voice  trembled,  and  he  had  hard 
work,  as  the  remembrance  of  it  all  swept  over 
him,  to  keep  the  tears  back. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot,"  said  the  man,  "  she  was 
blind." 

"Oh,  no,  no!"  cried  David  in  a  sharp  little 
cry,  and  he  tried  to  spring  from  the  barrel. 
Oh,  couldn't  he  get  home  to  Polly,  and  hold  her 
close  and  forget  that  she  had  ever  had  her 
eyes  tied  up!  Then  the  tears  came. 

Deacon  Blodgett  laid  both  large  hands  on 
the  small  lad.  "  Well,  Davie,  you  know  she 
wasn't  blind,"  he  said  in  a  hearty  voice. 

"  No,  she  wasn't,"  said  Davie,  smiling 
through  his  tears. 

"Now   tell   how   the   stove   got   in,"   said 


292          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Jenny's  mother,  with  a  black  look  for  the  man 
who  had  said  "  blind." 

"  Yes,  tell  us,"  they  all  took  it  up. 

"  Well,  we  were  playing  Old  Father  Dub- 
bin," Davie  had  wiped  his  tears  on  the  big 
handkerchief  that  Deacon  Blodgett  laid  in  his 
lap,  "  and  Polly  she  was  '  Old  Father  Dubbin,'  " 
then  he  laughed,  "  and  she  had  almost  caught 
Joel,  when  we  heard  an  awful  big  noise  out 
in  the  kitchen,  and  Joel  said  he  was  going  out 
there." 

"I  reckoned  you  wouldn't  keep  Joel  in," 
laughed  one  of  the  men. 

"  Oh,  he  didn't  run  out,"  Davie  hurried  to 
say,  and  he  shook  his  light  waves  of  hair  con- 
vincingly. "Joel  stopped  wanting  to  go  out 
when  Polly  said  'No,  you  mustn't  —  Mamsie 
said  we  were  to  stay  here/  And  then  Ben 
came  in.  Mamsie  kept  him  in  the  kitchen,  and 
he  had  a  big  stick  —  oh,  as  big  as  this,"  David 
spread  his  arms,  "and  he  said  he  wanted  to 
be  Old  Father  Dubbin,  and  Polly  said  she  was 
glad,  and  Ben  pounded  on  the  floor,  and  chased 
us  all,  and  I  got  under  Mamsie's  bed,  and 
Phronsie,  too."  Here  Davie  gave  a  gleeful 
laugh  that  showed  all  his  little  white  teeth. 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          293 

"  And  Joel  chased  Ben  and  tried  to  get  the 
stick,  and  Polly  laughed  and  clapped  her  hands 
and  said,  '  Old  Father  Dubbin  will  get  you, 
Joey!'  —  and  it  was  awfully  nice."  Davie 
drew  a  long  breath  and  clasped  his  hands 
ecstatically. 

"Well,  now,  the  stove,"  Jenny's  mother 
pressed  closer ;  "  tell  about  Dr.  Fisher's  stove." 

Davie's  blue  eyes  shone  as  he  continued, 
"  And  then  the  door  opened,  and  Mamsie  came 
in,  and  she  said,  '  Come,  children  —  why, 
where  are  Davie  and  Phronsie  ?  '  and  Joel  said, 
*  They're  under  the  bed, '  and  Mamsie  laughed 
and  said, '  Wait,  till  they  come  out,  for  we  must 
all  go  into  the  kitchen  together/  And  Joel 
helped  Phronsie  out,  and  Ben  said,  '  Well,  Old 
Father  Dubbin  has  got  you,  Dave,'  and  he 
pulled  me  out  by  the  legs."  Here  Davie 
laughed  long  and  loud,  and  it  sounded  so  glee- 
ful that  everybody  joined  in  till  the  old  store 
rang  with  the  noise,  and  Mrs.  Atkins  ran  in, 
her  sweeping-cap  on  her  head,  to  see  what 
could  be  the  matter. 

When  she  found  that  Davie  Pepper  on  the 
sugar-barrel  was  ttlling  something,  she  joined 
herself  to  the  group,  in  time  to  hear  him  say, 


294  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  And  Joel  cried,  '  It's  a  sto  — *  and  Mamsie 
said,  '  Hush,  Joel ! '  —  and  Ben  said,  '  Don't 
you  dare  to  say  a  word,  Joe  Pepper ! ' —  and 
Polly  said,  '  Oh,  what  is  it,  Mamsie  ? '  and 
Mamsie  said,  '  Children,  be  quiet/  And  Joel 
stuffed  the  towel  in  his  mouth,  and  we  all  were 
still  as  mice,  and  Polly  said,  '  Oh,  I  do  wish  I 
could  see ! '  Here  Davie's  face  became  very 
grave,  and  his  voice  fell. 

"Well,  she  did  see/'  said  Deacon  Blodgett 
in  a  loud  voice.  "  Now,  hurry  and  tell  us, 
Davie  boy/' 

"  Yes,  she  did,"  said  Davie,  bobbing  his 
light,  wavy  hair  till  it  fell  over  his  forehead 
again,  and  the  smile  ran  up  his  round  cheeks. 
"  Mamsie  said,  '  Now,  Polly,  I'm  going  to  take 
off  your  bandage/  And  she  did!"  Davie 
drew  a  long  breath  and  clasped  his  hands. 
"  And  the  stove  was  there !  "  he  cried ;  "  Dr. 
Fisher's  stove  was  there  —  it  was  —  it  was !  " 
He  sprang  off  from  the  sugar-barrel,  made  his 
way  through  the  group,  and  ran  over  to  the 
farther  end  of  the  store,  all  the  circle  whirling 
around  to  watch  him ;  "  just  like  this,  in  the 
corner,"  he  got  down  on  his  knees  and  patted 
the  floor. 


"  POLLY  KISSED  IT !  "          295 

"  What  did  Polly  do?  "  cried  Jenny's  mother 
in  an  awe-struck  voice. 

David  hopped  to  his  feet,  and  flung  back 
the  soft  waves  of  hair  that  had  tumbled  over 
his  forehead  again,  and  faced  them  all  with 
shining  eyes.  "  Polly  kissed  it !  "  he  said. 


CHAPTER  XX 
JOEL'S  COMPANY 

,  Davie»"  said  Mrs-  PePPer>  "y°u 
must  be  Mother's  good  boy  and  not  feel 

badly  because  Joel  cannot  go." 

"  I  very  much  wish  Joel  could  go/'  said 
Davie,  gazing  out  of  the  window  discon- 
solately. "  Oh,  why  couldn't  good  Mrs. 
Brown  have  asked  Joel,  too ! " 

"  Joel  must  stay  at  home  with  Polly  —  you 
wouldn't  have  Polly  left  alone,  Davie,  when 
Ben  is  to  help  Deacon  Blodgett." 

"  No/'  said  Davie,  shaking  his  head,  "  but 
if  Polly  could  go,  too." 

"  That  would  be  a  big  company  on  Mrs. 
Brown's  hands,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  with  a 
little  laugh.  "  Now,  Davie,  set  to  work  and 
do  all  the  things  Polly  wants  you  to  do  to-day, 
for  to-morrow  morning  Mr.  Brown  is  coming 
for  us  bright  and  early." 

David  turned  away  from  the  window.    He 

296 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  297 

was  going  to  sigh,  but  seeing  Mother  Pepper's 
face,  he  smiled  instead. 

"  What  can  I  do,  Polly  ?  "  he  cried,  running 
up  to  her. 

Polly  had  her  head  all  tied  up  in  Mother 
Pepper's  big  sweeping-cap.  "  Let  me  see," 
she  paused  on  her  way  for  the  broom.  "  Oh, 
you  might  dean  out  the  '  Provision  Room, ' 
Davie." 

"  I  will,"  said  Davie,  hurrying  out  to  the 
woodshed  to  get  the  old  broom,  a  rough  wisp 
of  a  thing  almost  worn  down  to  the  handle. 
But  it  was  good  enough  for  the  Provision 
Room. 

"  And  I  should  think  the  potatoes  needed 
looking  over,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  on  her  way 
to  the  bedroom. 

"  I'll  do  'em,  too,"  said  Davie. 

"You  better  do  the  potatoes  first,"  said 
Polly,  picking  off  her  broom  from  its  nail  in 
the  corner,  "  before  you  sweep  the  '  Provision 
Room'  out,  Davie." 

"  I  will,"  promised  Davie,  hurrying  out  to 
the  woodshed. 

"  Come,  Phronsie,  you  and  I  must  stay  in 
the  bedroom  while  Polly  sweeps  up  the 


298  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

kitchen."  Mrs.  Pepper  picked  up  her  big  work 
basket  from  the  table. 

"  I  shall  sew  on  my  child's  dress  to  wear  to 
my  Mrs.  Brown's  to-morrow,"  hummed  Phron- 
sie,  gathering  up  Seraphina  and  some  scraps  of 
calico  and  getting  up  from  the  kitchen  floor 
to  patter  after  her  mother. 

"  O  dear  me !  "  Polly  leaned  on  the  broom- 
handle  as  the  bedroom  door  was  shut; 
"  why  can't  I  ever  go  to  spend  the  day  some- 
where?" 

Two  tears  rolled  down  from  the  brown  eyes 
and  wet  the  broom-handle. 

"  They've  got  chickens  and  pigs,  Mrs.  Brown 
said  so  —  and  there's  a  cunning  little  brook 
back  of  the  farm-yard.  Why  can't  I  go?  " 

Away  went  the  old  broom  with  a  clang  to 
the  kitchen  floor. 

The  bedroom  door  opened  and  Phronsie's 
yellow  head  appeared. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  a  noise  —  Oh,  Polly,  are 
you  hurt  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  No,"  Polly  rushed  over  to  the  broom  and 
picked  it  up.  Her  cheeks  were  very  red. 
"  Don't  come  out,  Phronsie,  —  I'm  all  right." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  "  said  Phronsie  anxiously. 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  299 

"  Sure  as  I  can  be,"  declared  Polly.  "  Do 
go  back  —  O  dear !  "  With  a  glance  to  see 
that  the  bedroom  door  really  was  shut,  Polly 
rushed  over  to  Mamsie's  old  calico-covered 
chair,  and  flung  herself,  broom  and  all,  down 
before  it. 

"I'm  the  worst  girl  that  ever  lived/'  she 
cried,  stuffing  her  fingers  up  before  her  mouth. 
Suppose  Phronsie  should  open  the  bedroom 
door  again! 

Just  then  a  mouse  over  in  the  corner  gave  a 
scratch  against  the  wainscot.  Polly  hopped  to 
her  feet,  afraid  it  was  the  bedroom  door,  and 
wiped  her  eyes  on  the  end  of  the  sweeping-cap, 
that  flapped  down  over  her  shoulder.  Then 
she  tucked  it  up,  and  began  to  send  the  broom 
flying  over  the  dust  and  crumbs  on  the  kitchen 
floor.  Joel  ran  in  and  found  her  so. 

"  Polly,"  he  began  wrath  fully,  "  why  can't 
we  go  to  Mrs.  Brown's  house  to-morrow? 
Why  can't  we,  Polly?"  He  laid  hold  of  the 
broom  handle,  so  that  she  had  to  stop  chasing 
the  dust  and  crumbs. 

"  Because  Mrs.  Brown  didn't  ask  us,"  said 
Polly  coolly.  "  Let  go  of  the  broom,  Joe.  I 
can't  sweep  when  you  do  so." 


300  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  Well,  why  didn't  she  ask  us?  "  demanded 
Joel  in  a  louder  key. 

"  Hush  —  Mamsie  will  hear  you,"  warned 
Polly,  pointing  to  the  door.  "  Because  she 
didn't  want  us." 

"  She  ought  to  want  us,"  Joel  dropped 
his  voice,  but  his  black  eyes  blazed  in 
indignation. 

Polly  burst  into  a  little  laugh.  "When 
folks  have  company  they  can  ask  any  one  they 
want,  and  not  ask  any  one  they  don't  want." 

"  Not  a  single  one  ? "  persisted  Joel,  still 
hanging  to  the  broom. 

"  No;  not  if  they  don't  want  to,"  said  Polly. 
"  Now,  you  must  let  go  of  the  broom." 

When  Polly  said  "  must "  in  that  tone,  the 
little  Peppers  knew  that  it  was  time  to  obey. 
So  Joel's  brown  hands  dropped  from  the  broom 
handle,  and  down  to  his  side. 

"  Then  they'll  be  very  mad  —  the  folks  who 
don't  get  asked,"  he  said  slowly. 

"Of  course,"  said  Polly  lightly,  and  making 
some  of  the  scraps  from  Mamsie's  sewing  on 
the  coats,  fly  neatly  away  from  the  broom, 
"but  what  good  would  that  do,  Joey  —  they 
couldn't  go,  all  the  same." 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  301 

Joel  stood  quite  still  and  swallowed  the  lump 
in  his  throat. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  go,  Polly?  "  he  blurted 
out. 

Polly  turned  her  head,  and  tried  to  laugh. 
"  Maybe,"  she  said. 

*  You  do,"  cried  Joel  triumphantly,  "  want 
to  go  awfully.  There's  pigs  and  chickens 
there,  and  lots  and  lots  of  things,  Polly  Pepper ! 
I'm  going!  I'll  get  on  behind  the  wagon, 
when  Mr.  Brown  doesn't  know  it.  Oh,  Polly, 
you  come,  too  —  I'll  help  you!"  He  spun 
round  and  round  her,  broom  and  all. 

"  Joel  Pepper ! "  cried  Polly,  quite  aghast, 
and  whirling  with  him,  to  lay  hold  of  his 
jacket  sleeve.  "  Stop !  Oh,  Joel,  aren't  you 
ashamed  to  want  to  go  when  you're  not 
invited?" 

"  You  said  you  wanted  to,"  cried  Joel,  try- 
ing to  get  away.  But  she  held  him  fast. 

"  I  said  '  Maybe/  "  The  hot  color  rushed 
over  Polly's  face  at  the  remembrance. 

"  Well,  that's  the  same  thing,"  declared  Joel 
with  another  twitch. 

"  Joel,"  said  Polly,  and  she  threw  down  the 
broom.  "  Come  outdoors  — "  and  still  hold- 


302  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ing  his  sleeve,  she  hurried  him  out  and  into 
the  woodshed.  "  Now  see  here,  I  was  a  bad 
girl  to  want  to  go." 

"  I'm  not  a  bad  boy  to  want  to  go,"  con- 
tradicted Joel  stoutly. 

"  Yes,  you  are ;  we're  both  bad,"  declared 
Polly ;  "  don't  you  see,  it's  naughty  to  want 
something  that  Mamsie  can't  get  for  us,  and 
just  think  how  she  would  feel  if  she  knew  it." 

Polly  drew  a  long  breath,  and  her  hand 
shook  that  held  to  the  sleeve. 

Joel  scrubbed  his  rusty  little  shoe  on  the 
woodshed  floor.  "  Mrs.  Brown  is  bad,"  he 
said.  "  She  ought  to  have  asked  us." 

"Stop  saying  that,"  said  Polly.  "And 
when  you  have  company,  you  can  ask  any  one 
you  want  to." 

"  I  shall  ask  everybody,"  declared  Joel  with 
a  generous  sweep  of  his  hands,  "  just  every 
single  bit  of  folks."  His  face  brightened, 
"  Polly,  can't  I  ever  have  company?  " 

"  Goodness,  no !  "  cried  Polly,  and  she  burst 
into  a  laugh ;  "  the  idea  of  our  having  company 
in  the  little  brown  house  —  Joey  Pepper !  " 

"  I  wouldn't  have  'em  in  the  house  —  they 
could  stay  out-doors,  in  the  orchard." 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  303 

"  Well,  I  think  we'd  both  better  get  back  to 
our  work  instead  of  standing  here  to  talk  about 
having  company,"  said  Polly  gaily.  Then  she 
stopped.  "  Why,  Joel,  perhaps  you  could 
have  some  company  to-morrow.  I  do  believe 
Mamsie  would  let  you,  after  all." 

"  Can  I  —  can  I  ?  "  cried  Joel  eagerly,  and 
prancing  all  about  her. 

"  I  almost  know  that  she  will  let  you  ask  — " 

"  Who  ?  "  interrupted  Joel  with  a  gasp. 

"  Peletiah  and  Ezekiel." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  them,"  howled  Joel,  hor- 
ribly disappointed. 

"Well,  now  you  see,"  said  Polly;  "Mrs. 
Brown  doesn't  want  us,  and  you  think  she 
ought  to.  Now  here's  a  chance  for  you  to 
ask  somebody  you  don't  want  to." 

Joel  puckered  up  his  round  cheeks  and  ran 
off  to  the  corner  of  the  woodshed.  "  Have  I 
got  to  ?  "  he  asked,  coming  slowly  back  with  a 
wry  face. 

"  No,"  said  Polly  coolly ;  "  only  you  think 
Mrs.  Brown  is  bad  not  to  ask  us." 

"  Perhaps  Mamsie  won't  let  'em  come,"  he 
said,  a  comforting  thought  striking  him. 

"  Oh,  yes,  she  will,"  said  Polly  cheerfully. 


304  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  I  heard  her  only  the  other  day  talk  about 
asking  them  some  time.  And  the  Parson  and 
Mrs.  Henderson  have  been  so  good  to  us,  Joey ! 
Come,  let's  go  and  ask  her  now." 

She  grasped  his  jacket-sleeve  and  he  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  follow. 

"  O  dear  me !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  as  she  saw 
the  broom  lying  just  where  she  had  thrown  it. 
"  Well,  it  won't  take  a  minute  to  ask  Mamsie 
about  your  company,  Joe,  and  then  I'll  finish 
sweeping  the  kitchen,"  and  she  threw  wide  the 
bedroom  door. 

There  sat  Phronsie  on  the  floor  at  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's feet,  snipping  up  what  she  called  the 
"trimming"  to  Seraphina's  new  calico  gown, 
and  humming  softly  to  herself  as  Mamsie  set 
the  stitches  in  the  coat,  a  happy  smile  on  her 
face.  For  pleasure  was  coming  to  two  of  her 
little  ones  to-morrow  through  the  kindness  of 
good  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown.  When  she  saw 
Joel's  face,  the  smile  dropped  off  a  bit,  as  she 
remembered  how  he  wanted  to  go  on  the  beau- 
tiful visit.  And  Polly,  too!  Then  the  smile 
faded  completely  away. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Polly,  rushing  in  and  tow- 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  305 

ing  Joel  along,  "  can't  Joey  have  some  company 
to-morrow ;  can't  he,  Mamsie  ?  " 

"Some  company?"  repeated  Mother  Pep- 
per, her  work  dropping  to  her  lap. 

"Yes,"  said  Polly,  "oh,  it  would  be  so 
nice — Peletiah  and  Ezekiel  —  can't  he  ask 
them?" 

"  Ugh !  "  said  Joel.  He  couldn't  help  it,  and 
he  twisted  up  his  face,  just  as  if  he'd  bitten 
something  sour. 

"  You  said  you'd  like  to  ask  them  some  time, 
Mamsie,"  went  on  Polly,  still  holding  Joel's  lit- 
tle calico  sleeve  fast,  "  and  now  Joey  and  I  will 
be  all  alone  —  and  he  wants  some  company." 

Mamsie  turned  her  black  eyes  on  Joel's  face. 
"If  Joel  wants  them  to  come,  I  shall  be  very 
glad.  But  not  unless  he  does  want  them,"  she 
finished  slowly. 

Joel  put  his  little  brown  hands  together 
tightly,  and  looked  down  on  the  floor.  "  Pele- 
tiah can't  play  anything,"  he  blurted  out 
suddenly. 

"  Well,  Ezekiel  can,"  said  Polly  brightly. 

"  Huh !  "  exclaimed  Joel  contemptuously. 

"  Well,  we'll  play  « Old  Father  Dubbin/  " 


3o6  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

said  Polly ;  "  that'll  make  him  play,  Joey,"  and 
she  gave  a  little  laugh. 

"Will  you  play  '  Old  Father  Dubbin '?" 
cried  Joel,  looking  up,  and  he  began  to  laugh 
too. 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  promised  Polly,  bobbing 
her  head  so  that  the  two  brown  braids  flew  out, 
"  and  we'll  have  the  best  party  that  you  ever 
saw,  Joel  Pepper !  " 

"  I'm  going  to  have  a  party,  Phronsie,"  Joel 
twitched  away  from  Polly's  grasp  on  his  jacket 
sleeve,  and  flew  over  to  her,  "  all  by  myself  —  I 
am/'  he  cried,  dreadfully  excited  —  and  giving 
her  a  bear  hug. 

"  Take  care,  Joel  —  mirjd  the  scissors !  " 
warned  Mrs.  Pepper.  Too  late!  Phronsie, 
having  great  difficulty  in  making  one  part  of 
the  scissors  stay  on  her  fat  little  thumb,  was 
just  holding  them  up,  while  she  wriggled  her 
fingers  into  the  other  part,  when  down  came 
Joel  upon  them. 

"  Tain't  anything  —  I  don't  care,"  he  said, 
bobbing  up,  wiping  away  the  blood  with  the 
back  of  one  small  hand.  But  it  came  drip- 
ping down  his  face  just  as  fast.  Mrs.  Pepper 
with  never  a  word,  gathered  him  up  to  her  lap. 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  307 

Then  she  said,  "  The  bowl  of  water,  Polly." 

Polly  had  stood  like  a  frozen  little  thing. 
"  His  eye  —  Mamsie !  "  she  gasped. 

"  I  said  the  bowl  of  water,  Polly,"  repeated 
Mrs.  Pepper. 

How  she  got  the  bowl  of  water,  and  then  a 
towel,  Polly  never  knew.  All  she  was  con- 
scious of  was  standing  holding  the  bowl  while 
Mamsie  washed  away  the  blood,  Joel  all  the 
while  saying,  "  'Tisn't  anything  —  I  don't 
care  —  a  single  bit." 

At  last  Joel's  black  eye  shone  out  clear  and 
strong.  Mrs.  Pepper  gave  a  deep  cry  of  joy 
—  and  clasped  her  boy  tighter  to  her  breast. 

Down  flopped  Polly  in  a  little  heap  on  the 
floor,  the  bowl  coming  with  a  thud  that 
splashed  the  water  over  the  rim. 

"  You're  spilling  all  the  water,  Polly  Pep- 
per ! "  exclaimed  Joel,  struggling  away  from 
Mother  Pepper  to  look  down  at  her,  amaze- 
ment all  over  his  bloody  little  face.  "  Just  see 
there,  Mamsie,  she's  spilt  the  water  all  over 
the  floor!" 

"  Oh,  Mamsie,"  breathed  Polly,  clasping  her 
hands  on  her  mother's  knee,  "  it  isn't  Joel's 
eye  —  it  isn't !"  *r,*> 


308  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Mrs.  Pepper's  white  lips  moved.  She  tried 
to  say,  "  God  is  good,"  but  the  words  not  com- 
ing, she  smiled  instead. 

"  It  didn't  hurt  any,"  declared  Joel  stoutrjr, 
brushing  off  more  blood  from  an  ugly  little 
cut  just  below  one  of  those  bright  black  eyes. 

"  Take  care,  Joey,"  said  Mother  Pepper  — 
holding  his  brown  hands ;  "  now  you  must  just 
sit  still.  Polly,  you  better  run  and  see  if  Dr. 
Fisher  can  come." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  Dr.  Fisher  to  come,"  cried 
Joel  in  great  alarm.  "  He'll  put  me  to  bed, 
and  make  me  have  the  measles  all  over  again. 
Don't  let  him  come,  Mamsie !  "  he  begged. 

"Oh,  you  can't  have  the  measles  again, 
Joel,"  said  Polly,  getting  up  on  her  feet,  and 
picking  up  the  bowl. 

"Can't  I?"  said  Joel. 

"No,  indeed,"  said  Polly  decidedly;  "the 
very  idea,  Joel  Pepper ! "  and  she  gave  a  gay 
little  laugh.  Joel's  eye  wasn't  hurt,  and  Dr. 
Fisher  was  coming.  Everything  would  soon 
be  all  right! 

Phronsie,  who  didn't  really  know  that  the 
scissors  had  done  anything  naughty  to  Joel's 
face,  was  still  struggling  to  keep  them  on  her 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  309 

fat  little  hand  enough  to  snip  away  at  the 
"  trimming."  She  began  now,  in  a  soft  little 
voice,  to  talk  to  Seraphina  lying  on  the  floor 
by  her  side. 

"  You  are  going  to  have  a  new  dress,  my 
child,  to  wear  to-morrow  to  dear  Mrs.  Brown's, 
and  you  may  see  the  little  chickies,  and  the  dear, 
sweet  little  pigs." 

"  Then  he  can  come,"  said  Joel  on  a  high 
key,  "  if  he  won't  put  me  to  bed  and  make  me 
have  the  measles  again,"  while  Polly  sped  out, 
and  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  over  to  get  good 
Dr.  Fisher. 

The  little  Doctor  was  soon  there,  and  mend- 
ing Joel's  face,  who  kept  saying  it  didn't  hurt, 
as  he  twisted  his  hands  tightly  together. 
When  it  was  all  over,  he  looked  out  over  the 
plasters  and  bandage  on  his  round  face,  and 
announced  very  pompously,  "  I'm  going  to 
have  company  to-morrow." 

"Are  you?"  said  Dr.  Fisher. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  said  Joel,  with  an  important 
air,  and  beginning  to  get  down  from  Mrs. 
Pepper's  lap.  "  Mamsie  said  I  might,  and  I 
must  go  and  ask  'em  now." 

"  Hold  on  there !  "  the  little  Doctor  put  forth 


310          OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

a  restraining  hand.  "I  guess  I'd  put  off  that 
company  of  yours,  Joe,  to  another  day." 

"  I  can't,"  said  Joel,  wriggling  to  get  down 
to  the  floor.  "  I  must  go  now  and  ask  'em. 
It's  my  party  I'm  going  to  have  while  Mamsie 
and  Dave  and  Phronsie  are  over  at  Mrs. 
Brown's." 

"  Is  that  it?  "  said  Dr.  Fisher.  "  Well  now, 
see  here,  Joe,"  he  began,  while  he  laid  both 
hands  on  the  struggling  little  legs. 

"  And  we're  going  to  play  *  Old  Father  Dub- 
bin'," cried  Joel.  "  Polly  said  we  may  —  Oh, 
let  me  go!"  He  kicked  and  squirmed,  but  it 
was  no  use;  —  at  last  he  sat  quite  still  and 
glared  at  the  little  Doctor. 

"  Whoever  heard  of  giving  a  party  with  a 
head  tied  up  like  yours  ?  "  Dr.  Fisher  burst 
into  a  hearty  laugh. 

"Then  I'll  tear  the  things  off,"  declared 
Joel,  vindictively,  and  preparing  to  begin  the 
work. 

"Look  here,  Joe,"  Dr.  Fisher's  eyes  were 
now  so  stern  behind  their  big  spectacles  that 
Joel's  small  brown  hands  fell  to  his  lap.  "  Just 
look  at  your  mother !  " 

Joel  whirled  around  in  Mrs.  Pepper's  lap,  and 


JOEL'S  COMPANY  311 

peered  at  her  over  his  plaster  and  bandages. 
"  Mamsie,  I  won't  have  my  company,"  he  said 
humbly. 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will,  Joey,"  she  said  brightly, 
"you  shall  have  a  beautiful  time.  It's  only 
put  off!" 


CHAPTER  XXI 
AT  FARMER  BROWN'S 

CO  it  was  a  whole  week  after  when  Farmer 
Brown  got  Mrs.  Pepper  and  Davie  and 
Phronsie  into  the  big  wagon  all  ready  to  start 
for  Maybury.  Mother  Pepper  sat  on  the  back 
seat  with  the  farmer's  wife,  who  insisted  on 
holding  Phronsie  on  her  lap, —  and  Davie,  who 
would  have  been  in  a  state  of  bliss  if  only 
Joel  were  going,  sat  very  straight  next  to 
Farmer  Brown  waiting  till  all  the  good-bys 
were  over  and  he  could  say  "  G'lang  "  to  the 
old  white  horse. 

"  I'm  going  to  have  company/'  announced 
Joel  importantly,  for  about  the  fiftieth  time, 
and  climbing  up  on  the  wheel  to  tell  it  to  Mr. 
Brown. 

"  So  I've  heerd,"  said  the  farmer  dryly. 

"I  am  —  all  by  myself,"  declared  Joel,  his 
black  eyes  shining. 

312 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         313 

"  Well,  you  better  get  off  th'  wheel  then," 
said  Mr.  Brown,  "  for  your  comp'ny  folks  may 
be  a-comin'  down  th'  road." 

At  that  Joel  leaped  down  and  ran  till  he 
could  see  the  turn  in  the  road ;  then  came  flying 
back. 

"  They're  not  coming  —  not  a  single  bit," 
he  declared  in  an  injured  tone. 

"Well,  you  keep  off  th'  wheel,"  said  the 
farmer,  "  for  if  Jingo  starts,  mebbe  your  leg 
would  be  sliced  off." 

Joel,  with  no  heed  to  such  a  direful  warn- 
ing, ran  around  to  look  with  new  interest  at 
the  old  white  horse. 

"  Is  that  his  name  ?  "  he  cried  eagerly. 

"  Mebbe,"  said  the  farmer.  "  Sometimes 
when  I  want  him  to  hoof  it  real  fast,  I  say 
'  By  Jingo/ ' 

"  And  does  he  —  does  he  go  real  fast  ?  " 
said  Joel,  trying  to  climb  up  on  the  old  white 
back. 

"  You  get  off  that  horse  "  roared  the  farmer 
at  him,  in  such  an  awful  voice  that  Joel  lost 
no  time  in  slipping  down  on  his  two  small  feet. 
Mr.  Brown  cast  a  despairing  glance  over  his 
shoulder. 


3H  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I'm  a-goin'  to  start,"  he  said,  gathering  up 
the  reins. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  Pa,"  Mrs.  Brown  leaned 
over  Phronsie  in  her  lap.  "  Be  careful  o'  th' 
custard  pie,"  she  said,  in  a  loud  whisper,  "  it's 
kinder  soft." 

"  I  will,"  said  Polly,  her  brown  eyes  dancing 
at  the  thought  of  this  splendid  addition  to 
Joel's  party.  "  I  put  it  up  on  the  top  shelf  of 
the  cupboard,  so  he  can't  see  it  till  the  time 
comes." 

Mrs.  Brown's  large  face  beamed  approval. 

"G'lang!"  cried  the  farmer,  snapping  his 
whip,  and  they  were  finally  off,  Joel  clattering 
down  the  dusty  road  a  piece  to  see  if  he 
couldn't  beat  them  to  the  corner. 

The  old  house  at  Maybnry  stood  back  a 
good  bit  from  the  road.  Mrs.  Pepper  gave  a 
sigh  of  delight  as  Jingo  turned  into  the  yard, 
and  stopped  before  the  big  porch.  Honey- 
suckle rambled  all  over  it,  and  hollyhocks  shot 
up  their  tall  stocks, —  and  lilac-bushes  and 
poplars  guarded  the  doorway,  the  approach 
being  bordered  by  rows  of  box,  years  and 
years  old. 

A  big  dog  got  slowly  up  from  the  flat  door- 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         315 

stone,  shook  himself,  and  came  up  to  the 
wagon.  Phronsie  gave  a  little  cry  and  sprang 
over  to  get  into  Mother  Pepper's  lap. 

The  farmer's  wife  held  to  her.  "He 
wouldn't  hurt  you,"  she  said;  "why,  you'll  be 
playin'  with  him  as  soon  as  you  get  out  o'  th' 
wagon/' 

Phronsie  looked  doubtfully  out  of  her  blue 
eyes  —  but  she  settled  back  into  the  good  lap. 

"  Won't  he  bite  me?  "  she  asked. 

"  Land,  no !  —  he  hain't  got  any  teeth  to 
bite  with,  neither,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

"There  now,"  Farmer  Brown  having  got 
down  to  the  ground,  came  around  to  his  wife's 
side  of  the  wagon.  "  Come  here,  little  gal," 
putting  up  his  long  arms. 

Phronsie,  one  eye  on  the  big  dog,  con- 
fidently held  out  her  hands,  and  he  swung  her 
down,  her  small  pink  calico  skirt  puffing  out 
in  her  descent. 

"  He  won't  hurt  you,  Phronsie,"  cried 
David,  clambering  over  the  wheel.  "  See,"  he 
patted  the  big  dog's  head. 

"  He  won't  hurt  me,"  repeated  Phronsie, 
but  her  little  hand  trembled  on  the  shaggy 
head  as  she  said  it. 


316  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  I  told  you  so,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  getting 
heavily  out  of  the  wagon.  "  Now  you  an' 
Towser  is  a-goin'  to  be  reel  comf'table  to- 
gether." She  glanced  at  Mother  Pepper 
standing  quite  still,  drinking  in  the  sweet  air 
in  long  deep  breaths  as  she  gazed  about  her, 
and  the  farmer's  wife  smiled.  "  I'm  reel 
pleased  you  like  it,"  she  said,  quite  gratified. 
"  Well,  come  in  an*  take  your  bunnit  off,  Mis 
Pepper,"  she  cried  hospitably,  as  she  ducked 
under  the  honeysuckle  branches  that  drooped 
over  the  doorway. 

But  Mother  Pepper  stood  quite  still. 

"  Can't  you  let  her  be,  Ma,"  said  the  farmer, 
stopping  at  the  door-stone  on  his  way  to  the 
barn  to  untackle  Jingo;  "when  a  person's 
comf'table,  let  'em  stay  so,  I  say." 

"  I  know  how  to  take  care  o'  my  comp'ny," 
said  his  wife,  "  you  look  out  for  the  boy,  an' 
I'll  see  to  Mis  Pepper  and  th'  little  gal." 
Then  to  her  great  delight,  Mother  Pepper 
turned  and  came  up  to  the  big  porch. 

"  Now  you  lay  off  your  things  in  here," 
said  Mrs.  Brown,  leading  the  way  to  the  big 
bedroom  in  the  ell.  The  chintz  curtains 
swung  in  the  breeze  that  carried  a  pleasant 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         317 

fragrance  from  the  sweet  brier  climbing  over 
the  windows.  "  Lay  your  bunnit  an*  shawl 
right  on  th*  bed,  Mis  Pepper,"  patting  the 
pieced  bedquilt  of  a  gorgeous  "  rising  sun  " 
pattern.  "An',  little  girl,  I'll  take  off  your 
things  for  you,"  turning  to  Phronsie,  who  was 
holding  her  mother's  gown. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  said  Phronsie  decidedly,  "  I 
want  my  Mamsie  to  take  off  my  things." 

Mrs.  Brown's  mouth  dropped  suddenly  at 
the  corners,  and  over  her  large  face  spread 
disappointment  of  the  worst  sort. 

"  I  would  let  Mrs.  Brown  take  off  my 
things,  Phronsie,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

Phronsie  turned  her  blue  eyes  wonderingly 
up  to  her  mother,  and  seeing  that  she  really 
meant  it,  she  dropped  her  hold  on  the  protect- 
ing gown  and  put  up  her  little  face  for  the  pink 
sunbonnet  to  be  untied  by  the  farmer's  wife. 

"  Now  that  is  the  best  child  that  ever  lived," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown  joyfully.  She  got 
down  to  her  fat  knees,  and  began  to  fumble 
with  the  pink  calico  strings.  "  It's  jest  like 
havin'  a  little  girl  of  my  own,"  she  said,  catch- 
ing her  breath. 

"Haven't    you    any    little    girl?"    asked 


318  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

Phronsie,  patiently  waiting  till  the  strings  that 
now  got  themselves  into  a  knot  under  the  ner- 
vous fingers,  could  be  untied. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  and  despite  all  her 
efforts,  the  big  tears  would  come,  and  down 
they  rolled  over  the  large  face. 

"Are  you  crying  because  you  haven't  any 
little  girl?  "  Phronsie  gazed  in  dismay  at  the 
tears,  while  the  large  hands  fumbled  at  their 
task. 

Mrs.  Brown  tried  to  speak,  but  it  was  no 
use.  Down  fell  the  pink  calico  strings,  and 
she  put  her  hands  over  her  face  and  sobbed. 

"Don't  cry/'  begged  Phronsie,  dreadfully 
distressed. 

"  If  you'd  be  my  little  girl/'  said  the  farm- 
er's wife,  "p'raps—" 

Phronsie  scuttled  over  to  Mother  Pepper  on 
frightened  little  feet,  the  pink  sunbonnet  flying 
off  to  the  floor. 

"  I  mean  jest  for  to-day,"  cried  the  farmer's 
wife  after  her,  scared  out  of  her  tears,  and 
wiping  them  off. 

Mrs.  Pepper  laid  her  hand  soothingly  on 
the  yellow  hair.  "  She  wants  you  to  let  her 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         319 

do  things  for  you,  Phronsie  —  just  as  if  you 
were  her  own  little  girl/' 

"  And  can  I  go  back  to  the  little  brown 
house?"  asked  Phronsie,  clutching  fast  her 
mother's  gown,  and  casting  fearful  glances  at 
the  big  woman  who  had  forgotten  to  get  up 
from  her  knees. 

"  Yes,  dear,  you  can  go  back  with  me  and 
with  Davie,"  Mamsie  smiled  reassuringly. 

"  Then  you  may  do  things  for  me,"  said 
Phronsie,  going  back  to  the  big  woman. 

"  You  sweet  lamb,  you !  "  cried  the  farmer's 
wife,  quite  overcome.  And  she  unbuttoned 
the  little  calico  sack,  and  getting  up,  she  laid 
it  neatly  on  the  bed  by  the  side  of  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's bonnet  and  shawl. 

"  I've  baked  a  little  pie  for  you,"  she  leaned 
over  and  whispered,  when  that  was  done,  tak- 
ing Phronsie's  hand  as  she  did  so.  "  Come, 
and  I'll  show  it  to  you." 

"For  me?"  cried  Phronsie,  showing  her 
little  white  teeth  in  her  delight. 

"  Sure,  all  for  you.  And  I  curlicued  th' 
edge,  all  round." 

Phronsie    gave    a    little    gurgle    at    that, 


320          OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

although  she  didn't  know  in  the  least  what 
"  curlicued  "  meant.  It  must  be  something  to 
make  her  little  pie  very  splendid.  And  she 
gave  a  sigh  of  great  satisfaction,  and  smoothed 
down  her  pink  calico  gown. 

"  An'  then,  says  I,  you  shall  see  th'  chickies." 
By  this  time  Mrs.  Brown,  holding  Phronsie's 
hand,  was  well  on  the  way  to  the  big  kitchen 
where  certain  smells  proclaimed  very  unusual 
things  going  on  in  preparation  for  the  com- 
pany dinner,  Mrs.  Pepper  following,  a  happy 
smile  lighting  her  face. 

Meanwhile  Davie,  lost  to  everything  but  the 
bliss  of  being  allowed  to  help  take  off  Jingo's 
heavy  harness,  was  on  his  tiptoes  and  working 
with  all  his  might  to  do  as  much  with  the 
buckles  and  straps  as  the  farmer  on  the  other 
side  of  the  old  white  horse. 

"  I  declare  ef  you  ain't  as  smart  as  th'  next 
one,"  declared  Mr.  Brown  admiringly  over 
Jingo's  back.  "You've  helped  me  a  whole 
lot." 

"Have  I?"  cried  Davie  in  delight.  The 
streams  of  perspiration  were  running  down  his 
hot  little  face,  and  his  fingers  trembled  over 
their  struggles  with  a  refractory  strap. 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         321 

"  I  should  jest  say  you  have ! "  cried  the 
farmer.  "  Well  now,"  and  he  slouched 
around  Jingo.  "  There,  that's  an'  awful 
plaguy  strap  —  it  bothers  me  somethin'  dret- 
ftil." 

"Does  it?"  cried  Davie,  quite  pleased  to 
find  that  the  big  man  didn't  blame  him  for  his 
failure  to  undo  it. 

"  You  better  believe  it  does/'  declared  Mr. 
Brown,  laying  hold  of  the  strap ;  "  there,  you 
set  down  on  that  box  a  spell." 

Davie,  wanting  dreadfully  to  ask,  "  Can't  I 
help  some  more  ?  "  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and 
silently  watched  the  farmer  get  Jingo  out  of 
the  harness  and  into  his  halter. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  lead  him  into  th' 
stall  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Brown,  when  that  was  all 
done,  and  turning  suddenly. 

"Oh,  can  I  —  can  I?"  cried  Davie,  spring- 
ing from  the  box,  his  little  hot  face  beaming 
with  delight. 

"  There  ain't  nothin'  to  hinder  you,"  said 
the  farmer,  with  a  chuckle.  "  There  now," 
and  he  put  the  halter  strap  into  David's  hand. 
"  Come  this  way,"  he  was  going  to  say,  "  Lit- 
tle boy,"  but  coughed  and  gave  it  up. 


322  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  You're  handy  as  you  can  be,"  said  Mr. 
Brown,  when  Jingo  was  munching  his  oats. 
"  Now  says  I,  let's  go  down  an'  see  th'  pigs," 
and  he  put  out  his  big  hand. 

"  Phronsie  loves  pigs,"  began  Davie.  Then 
the  color  ran  over  his  face  —  Mamsie  had  told 
them  not  to  show  that  they  wanted  anything 
while  on  this  visit.  In  his  anxiety  that 
Phronsie  should  see  the  pigs,  he  had  forgotten 
that. 

"  You  needn't  to  worry  about  th'  little  gal," 
said  the  farmer  composedly,  "  Miss  Brown'll 
look  out  for  her." 

"Will  she  let  her  see  the  pigs?"  asked 
Davie,  turning  an  anxious  face  up  to  the  keen 
eyes  under  their  shaggy  brows. 

"  Sure !  "  said  Mr.  Brown.  "  There  won't 
be  nothin'  that  little  gal  ought  to  see,  but  what 
she'll  see  it  to-day.  Ma'll  look  out  for  that," 
and  he  gathered  up  David's  little  hand  in  his 
big  one. 

David  trotted  along  in  great  contentment, 
trying  to  keep  step  with  the  farmer's  big 
strides  as  they  left  the  sweet-smelling  old  barn, 
fragrant  with  its  generous  hay-lofts. 

"  You  see  Mis  Brown  has  got  th'  little  gal, 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S          323 

an'  I've  got  you,"  said  the  farmer,  in  great 
satisfaction.  "  You're  my  boy." 

Everything  swam  around  before  David's 
eyes.  He  stopped  in  silent  terror,  dragging 
on  the  big  hand,  and  his  cheeks  grew  quite 
white. 

"  Whew ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Brown,  aghast 
at  the  storm  he  had  raised,  "  wouldn't  you  like 
to  be  my  boy,  pray  tell  ?  " 

"Oh  no,  no,"  cried  Davie,  finding  his 
tongue,  "  I'm  Mamsie's  boy  —  I  must  go  to 
Mamsie."  But  all  his  pulling  wouldn't  get 
his  hand  free. 

"  You  see  this  place,"  Mr.  Brown  went  on 
as  fast  as  he  could  talk,  and  he  swept  his  other 
big  hand  around,  "there's  everythin'  here, — 
and  I'd  get  you  a  pony,  all  for  yourself,  just 
think,  David,  an'  a  calf,  you  may  have  the  pick 
of  all  the  bossies,  an'  a  pig  —  two  of  'em,  if 
you  want  'em." 

"  No,  no ! "  cried  Davie,  quite  gone  in  his 
fright  that  he  was  never  going  to  see  the  little 
brown  house  again.  "  Do  let  me  go  —  oh, 
do  let  me  go,  please !  " 

The  farmer  gave  a  long  sigh.  He  still 
clutched  the  small  hand. 


324  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Davie,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  broke,  "  I 
hain't  never  had  a  little  boy,  not  a  single  one," 
he  added  mournfully. 

"  Haven't  you  ever  had  one  ? "  gasped 
Davie. 

"  Never !  "  declared  Mr.  Brown.  His  face 
twitched,  and  if  ever  a  big  man  did  cry,  he 
looked  as  if  he  were  going  to  that  very 
minute. 

At  seeing  that,  Davie  began  to  lose  his  fright 
in  his  distress  over  the  farmer. 

"  Seem's  as  ef  you  could  now  — "  began 
Mr.  Brown.  "Hem!"  he  brought  up  sud- 
denly at  sight  of  the  little  face.  "  Well,  we  can 
pretend  you're  my  boy  jest  while  you're  here 
to-day,"  he  begged. 

"I'm  Mamsie's  boy,"  said  Davie  stoutly. 

"  I  know  —  I  know,"  said  the  farmer  reas- 
suringly, "  but  jest  while  you're  a-visitin'  me 
to-day,  you  can  make  b'lieve  you  live  here  on 
the  farm." 

"I'm  going  home  when  Mamsie  goes,  and 
Phronsie,"  said  Davie. 

"Of  course,"  said  Mr.  Brown,  slapping  his 
big  hands  together.  "Well  now,  you  an* 
me'll  keep  together,  Davie,  to-day.  Mis' 


AT  FARMER  BROWN'S         325 

Brown's  got  th'  little  gal,  an'  I've  got  you. 
Come  on,  they're  hayin'  down  in  the  medder, 
an'  you  can  ride  on  th'  cart  ef  you  want  to." 

Davie  slipped  his  hand  into  the  big  one 
extended,  and  snuggled  up  to  the  farmer. 

"  I'm  sorry  you  haven't  ever  had  any  little 
boy,"  he  said,  a  worried  look  spreading  all 
over  his  round  face. 

"Don't  you  let  that  make  you  feel  bad," 
said  Mr.  Brown,  trying  to  smile.  "  Hem ! 
We'll  have  to  hurry  ef  we  git  on  to  that  cart 
before  it  leaves  for  th'  barn!  Now  says  I, 
your  little  legs  has  got  to  run  to  keep  up  with 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY 

"TJEY  there  — look  out  for  that  boy!" 

•••  •••  roared  the  farmer. 

It  was  all  done  in  a  minute.  The  mass  of 
hay,  with  David  in  its  center,  slid  neatly  off 
the  top  of  the  cart  to  the  ground.  Bill,  the 
hired  man,  pitchfork  in  hand,  leaned  over  the 
edge  in  a  state  of  great  consternation,  the  rest 
of  the  laborers,  the  loading  all  completed, 
watching  to  see  the  cart  start  off  for  the  barn. 

"  Jehoshaphat !  "  Mr.  Brown  pushed  them 
all  aside,  and  threw  himself  over  the  landslide 
of  hay.  "  Get  him  out !  Get  th'  boy  out !  " 
he  roared,  pawing  frantically  to  right  and  to 
left  to  reach  David.  The  laborers  fell  to 
with  such  energy  that  hay  flew  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  at  last  David  was  pulled  out  white  as 
a  sheet,  and  gasping  for  breath. 
326 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY          327 

"  Land  o'  Goshen !  "  Farmer  Brown  rose 
up  tall  and  straight.  "  You  dumb  lummux, 
you !  "  and  he  shook  his  fist  at  Bill,  "  to  let  this 
happen ! " 

Bill  cowered  down  on  top  of  the  hay  out  of 
sight.  David  tried  his  best  to  speak,  but  he 
hadn't  any  breath  to  start  the  words. 

"  Ye  ain't  hurt,  be  ye  ? "  cried  Farmer 
Brown,  in  an  anguish.  Then  he  felt  David's 
arms  and  made  him  take  a  step  or  two  to  try 
his  legs. 

Davie  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  No," — 
while  the  men  picked  out  the  wisps  of  hay 
from  his  soft  light  hair,  and  dusted  off  his 
little  calico  blouse. 

"  Well,  that's  a  mercy,"  breathed  the  farmer 
at  last.  "  It's  th'  biggest  luck  I  ever  see  in 
my  life." 

"He  didn't  make  me  fall,"  said  Davie, 
drawing  the  first  long  breath  since  the  tumble, 
and  pointing  up  where  Bill's  head  showed  on 
the  top  of  the  load  of  hay,  "  I  did  it  myself." 

"  Well,  never  mind  —  you  ain't  none  th' 
worse  for  it,  I  reckon.  But  you  scaret  me  most 
out  o'  my  boots,  Davie."  The  farmer's  big 
black  eyes  began  to  settle  back  into  their 


328  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

natural  places.  "  Well,  pitch  back  this  hay, 
boys,  and  drive  off." 

"  Put  me  up/'  cried  Davie.  "  Oh,  I  want 
to  get  up  there  again.  Do,  Mr.  Brown,"  he 
begged. 

"  You  sure  you  can  stick  on,  Davie  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  will  —  I  will  stick  on,"  promised 
Davie,  dreadfully  excited,  "  if  you'll  only  let 
me  get  up  there." 

"  All  right.     H'ist  him  up,  boys." 

So  the  hired  men,  two  of  them,  seized  David 
and  swung  him  up  to  the  shoulders  of  the 
third,  and  in  "  a  shake  of  a  lamb's  tail,"  as 
the  farmer  said,  there  he  was  on  the  top  of 
the  load,  and  laughing  with  glee,  and  the  men 
below  were  pitching  up  the  hay  that  had  taken 
a  slide  carrying  him  along  with  it. 

"  Keep  away  from  th'  edge,"  shouted  the 
farmer  after  him,  as  the  big  horses  began  to 
pull  the  load  off  across  the  meadow. 

"  You  mustn't  stand  up  when  we  get  to  th' 
barn,"  said  Bill,  not  intending  to  take  any  risk 
with  this  visitor  to  the  farm.  "  You've  got 
to  set,  an*  duck  your  head,  when  Job  drives 
in." 

"  I'll  lie  down,"  said  Davie. 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY         329 

"  That's  a  good  idee/'  said  Bill  approvingly. 
"  Well,  how'd  you  feel  when  you  was  a-goin' 
off  th'  load  ker-slap." 

"  I  didn't  feel,"  said  Davie,  "  I  just  slid." 

"  Warn't  you  scared  none  ?  " 

David  longed  to  say,  "  No."  Instead,  he 
hung  his  head,  "  Yes,  I  was,"  he  said. 

"  So  sh'd  I  have  ben,"  said  Bill,  picking  up 
a  wisp  of  hay  to  chew  it. 

"  Would  you  ?  "  cried  Davie  eagerly,  and 
lifting  his  head  suddenly,  while  his  blue  eyes 
shone. 

"  Sure,"  declared  Bill,  chewing  his  wisp. 
"  I  don't  like  no  sech  sudden  removals. 
'Tain't  my  style." 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  very  glad  that  you'd  have  been 
scared,"  said  Davie,  clasping  his  hands. 

"  Well,  you  better  set,  or  you'll  go  again," 
said  Bill,  as  the  big  wagon  toiled  over  a  lump, 
and  then  swayed  on  to  level  ground  once  more. 

"  I'm  not  going  again !  "  said  David,  all  in 
a  glow  to  think  that  the  big  man  would  have 
been  scared,  just  the  same  as  a  little  boy.  And 
he  settled  himself  comfortably  in  a  hollow  in 
the  middle  of  the  hay  load. 

"  Well,  you're  goin'  to  stay  here  a  spell, 


330  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ain't  you  ? "  asked  Bill,  regarding  the  small 
figure  curiously. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  declared  Davie  in  terror.  All 
his  glow  was  gone,  and  he  looked  so  very  mis- 
erable that  Bill  hastened  to  reassure  him. 

"  We  get  awful  good  things  to  eat.  Ever 
seen  any  o'  Mis  Brown's  pies?"  And  he 
smacked  his  lips. 

But  David's  thoughts  were  away  off  from 
Mrs.  Brown's  pies,  or  any  other  pies,  and  he 
shook  all  over  and  folded  his  hands  tightly 
together. 

"  He'd  set  by  you,"  Bill  pointed  with  his  big 
thumb  to  Farmer  Brown  and  the  hired  men 
following  to  help  unload  the  hay,  "  he  said  you 
was  a-comin'  an'  he  meant  to  keep  you." 

"  I  can't  stay  —  I  can't !  "  exclaimed  Davie 
wildly,  and  springing  up,  he  stood  as  straight 
as  he  could  for  the  jolting  cart. 

"  Take  care !  "  Bill  put  out  a  big  hand  and 
grasped  the  little  calico  sleeve.  "  You  better 
set,"  and  he  put  him  back  in  the  hollow  of  the 
hay.  "  Thunder !  You  needn't  feel  so  bad 
about  stayin'  here,"  he  added  in  a  dudgeon, 
"  it's  a  bang-up  good  farm, — 'tain't  every  boy 
would  get  a  chance  at  it,  I  can  tell  you." 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY          331 

But  Davie  shivered,  and  didn't  half  hear 
while  Bill  rattled  on  about  Mr.  Brown,  and 
Tom,  Dick  and  Harry,  Mr.  Brown's  hired 
men,  and  how  they  all  hoped  to  spend  their 
days  there.  At  last  he  got  talked  out,  and 
stopped  and  looked  at  David. 

"  Say,  youngster,  where'd  you  come  from, 
anyway  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  little  brown  house,"  said  David 
faintly,  without  looking  up. 

"  Gosh !  —  I  thought  you'd  say  a  palace,  to 
the  very  least,"  said  Bill,  "after  turning  up 
your  nose  at  this  place." 

David  unfolded  his  hands,  and  put  one  up 
to  feel  of  his  nose.  It  never  had  been  turned 
up  at  the  end,  and  he  was  relieved  to  find  it 
still  the  same. 

Bill  burst  into  such  a  guffaw  that  two  old 
crows  flying  over  the  field,  stopped  their  own 
hoarse  croakings  to  listen  in  amazement. 

"  Got  any  more  like  you  over  there  to  the 
little  brown  house  ?  "  asked  Bill,  when  he  came 
out  of  his  amusement.  "  Say,  boy,  I'd  give 
a  dollar  ef  you  would  stay  here." 

This  made  David's  distress  very  dreadful. 

"  You  can  cry,  ef  you  want  to,  though  'tain't 


332  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

very  polite,  after  an  invitation  like  you've 
got,"  said  Bill,  "  an'  not  set  there  tying  your 
face  into  knots.  You  ain't  a-goin'  to  be  kep 
here  agin  your  will.  Don't  get  scared,  young- 
ster." 

"Won't  you  keep  me?"  breathed  David  in 
a  shaking  voice. 

"  Me?  My  land  o'  Goshen,  I  sh'd  say  not," 
declared  Bill,  slapping  his  overalls  with  a  red 
hand.  "  What  do  I  want  with  a  boy,  pray 
tell?" 

"  I'm  so  glad,"  exclaimed  Davie  in  delight, 
"  that  you  don't  want  a  boy,  Mr.  Bill,"  and 
his  face  shone,  as  the  cart  rolled  up  to  the  barn 
door.  David  flung  himself  flat  on  his  face, 
just  in  time  before  they  bumped  over  the  sill. 

As  "  Mr.  Bill "  didn't  want  a  boy  under  any 
consideration,  David  reached  the  hay-loft  in 
a  comfortable  condition,  and  by  the  time  that 
Farmer  Brown  and  Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry 
came  up,  he  was  shouting  and  laughing  at  a 
great  rate  as  he  helped  to  pack  the  sweet- 
smelling  hay  on  the  big  loft. 

Meanwhile  Phronsie  was  having  her  visit 
with  good  Mrs.  Brown.  Mother  Pepper,  see- 
ing how  things  were,  had  begged  to  be  left 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY          333 

in  the  big  old  kitchen  to  see  to  the  dinner. 
There  were  a  pair  of  ducks  roasting  away  in 
the  oven,  and  a  big  chicken  pie,  for  the  farm- 
er's wife  was  determined  to  do  things  up  well, 
and  there  were  potatoes  and  onions  boiling 
away,  with  cranberry  sauce  and  ever  so  many 
pies  in  the  cupboard  waiting  their  turn  to  be 
invited  to  the  table.  And  Mrs.  Pepper,  with 
one  of  Mrs.  Brown's  checked  aprons  tied  over 
her  neat  calico  gown,  moving  about,  in  all  the 
mysteries  of  "  seeing  to  dinner,"  had  such  a 
happy  smile  on  her  face  that  the  big  kitchen, 
although  it  was  just  as  different  as  a  kitchen 
could  be  from  the  little-brown-house  one,  be- 
gan to  seem  cheery  and  home-y  at  once. 

"  Phronsie,"  said  the  farmer's  wife,  "  I  tell 
you  what  let's  you  an'  me  do  —  we'll  go  an* 
see  th'  chickens  first  —  an'  get  them  off 'n  our 
minds." 

"  We'll  go  and  see  the  chickies,"  hummed 
Phronsie,  and  putting  up  her  small  hand  for 
the  farmer's  wife  to  take  it,  which  so  pleased 
Mrs.  Brown  that  her  head  went  quite  high  in 
the  air  as  she  picked  up  her  black  alpaca  gown 
and  stepped  off. 

"  I  see  them,"  cried  Phronsie,  on  a  high  key, 


334  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

and  she  tried  gently  to  pull  Mrs.  Brown  along 
faster  as  they  neared  the  chicken  yard. 

"  Yes,  yes,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  who 
wasn't  accustomed  to  much  walking  out  of 
doors,  "you  don't  need  to  hurry  so." 

"  They're  going  off,"  said  Phronsie  in  a 
worried  way. 

"  Oh,  no,  they  ain't.  Hens  always  has  to 
be  steppin'  round  important.  They  ain't  doin' 
nothing  only  they  like  to  be  on  the  move  all 
the  while." 

"Will  they  wait  for  us?"  asked  Phronsie, 
anxiously  watching  the  incessant  movement  in 
the  chicken  yard. 

"  My  soul  an'  body ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Brown,  with  a  little  laugh,  "you'll  find  'em 
fast  enough  when  we  get  there."  But  she 
redoubled  her  pace,  lumbering  on  till  she  was 
quite  red  in  the  face. 

"  Can  we  go  in  ?  "  cried  Phronsie,  very  much 
excited,  as  a  whole  bunch  of  fluffy  little  yellow 
chicks  tumbled  over  each  other  to  get  away 
from  the  noise  of  their  footsteps. 

"  Well,  that's  what  we've  come  for,"  said 
the  farmer's  wife,  pushing  up  the  hasp  of  the 
big  gate. 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY          335 

"  We're  going  in!  "  cried  Phronsie,  clapping 
her  hands  and  hopping  up  and  down.  This 
made  the  little  fluffy  chicks  tumble  over  each 
other  worse  than  ever,  till  they  looked  just  like 
one  big  yellow  ball. 

"  Can  I  take  one  —  can  I  ? "  begged 
Phronsie,  running  after  the  big  ball  as  Mrs. 
Brown  pulled  to  the  gate. 

"You  wait,  little  girl,"  said  the  farmer's 
wife,  "  an*  by'n'by,  you'll  have  your  lap  full.'* 

Phronsie  stopped  and  regarded  her  pink 
calico  gown.  To  have  her  lap  full  of  chickens 
was  something  that  had  to  be  thought  out 
carefully.  And  she  was  standing  there  quite 
still  when  Mrs.  Brown,  who  had  hurried  into 
the  shed,  came  out  with  a  tin  pan  in  her  hand. 

"  There  now,  says  I,"  she  took  Phronsie's 
hand.  "  You  come  along  of  me,"  and  she  led 
her  to  the  other  end  of  the  long  chicken-yard. 
"  Now  we  can  set,  an'  I'm  sure  I'm  glad  to," 
and  down  she  went  heavily  on  a  low  bench 
under  some  currant-bushes. 

"  Chick  —  chick,"  called  the  farmer's  wife. 
"  Set  down,  Phronsie.  There,  don't  you  see 
'em  runnin'  fit  to  break  their  necks,"  as  she 
put  her  hand  in  the  tin  pan  and  brought  it 


336  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

forth  full  of  corn  and  fine  grain  to  fling  it  far 
and  wide. 

"  Oh,  don't  let  them  break  their  necks  — 
please,"  begged  Phronsie.  She  had  sat  down 
by  Mrs.  Brown's  side,  but  now  hopped  to  her 
feet  in  distress. 

Mrs.  Brown  gave  a  comfortable  laugh. 
"  They  hain't  got  any  necks  hardly  to  break 
—  only  a  bunch  o'  feathers.  Set  down,  an' 
you  may  fling  some  corn." 

So  Phronsie,  seeing  that  the  chickens'  necks 
were  to  be  perfectly  safe,  sat  down  on  the 
bench  and  filled  both  small  hands  with  the  corn 
and  grain. 

Chickens  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  came  sweep- 
ing down  in  flocks  till  the  ground  all  around 
the  bench  was  covered,  and  the  first  thing  she 
knew,  one  or  two  hopped  up  on  the  end  of  the 
bench  and  jumped  into  Phronsie's  pink  calico 
gown  to  get  nearer  to  the  old  tin  pan.  When 
the  other  chickens  saw  that,  a  whole  fluffy 
crowd  followed. 

Phronsie  gave  a  little  squeal  and  threw  her- 
self over  into  Mrs.  Brown's  arms,  thereby 
upsetting  a  couple  of  the  more  adventurous 
ones. 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY         337 

"  There  —  there,"  chuckled  the  farmer's 
wife,  "  didn't  I  tell  you  you'd  have  your  lap 
full.  Well,  see  here,"  to  the  chickens,  and  she 
pushed  off  the  biggest  ones,  "  'tain't  polite  to 
scrouge  so  —  you'll  all  get  your  turn.  Now, 
Phronsie,  let  that  littlest  one  eat  out  o'  your 
hand." 

Mrs.  Brown  shook  some  grain  into  the  little 
calico  gown.  A  small  fluffy  ball  plumped 
right  into  the  middle  of  it,  holding  on  by  its 
little  claws  to  Phronsie's  small  thumb. 

Phronsie  squealed  in  delight.  And  the  little 
yellow  chick,  not  caring  in  the  least  how  much 
any  one  squealed  as  long  as  there  was  this 
sweet  grain,  hung  on  to  Phronsie's  thumb  and 
pecked  away,  the  farmer's  wife  scaring  the 
other  chickens  off. 

It  seemed  impossible  for  Phronsie  to  tear 
herself  away  from  this  enchanting  party  in  the 
old  chicken  yard.  The  farmer's  wife  might 
talk  and  talk  over  the  charms  of  the  pigs  who 
were  supposed  to  be  waiting  to  be  visited. 
Phronsie  had  no  eyes  nor  ears  for  anything  but 
the  "  chickies  "  and  their  soft  little  "  peep  — • 
peep." 

At  last  Mrs.  Brown  said,  "They'll  be  sick 


338  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

if  they  eat  any  more,"  and  getting  up  from 
the  bench,  she  went  off,  tin  pan  and  all.  And 
Phronsie,  slipping  down  to  the  ground  beneath, 
sat  down  in  the  by-no-means-clean  spot,  and 
put  her  arms  around  the  fluffy  bunch  that 
swarmed  into  her  lap. 

"  Gracious !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown,  coming 
back,  having  disposed  of  the  tin  pan.  "  I 
don't  know  what  your  ma'll  think!  My 
senses !  just  look  at  your  dress,  child ! " 

Phronsie  huddled  up  two  of  the  chickens  in 
the  front  breadth  of  her  pink  calico  gown,  as 
Mrs.  Brown  got  her  up  to  her  feet. 

So  they  didn't  get  to  the  pigs  after  all, 
Phronsie  having  to  be  led  back  to  the  farm 
house  for  the  messy  little  back  breadth  of  her 
gown  to  be  washed  clean.  And  of  course, 
while  that  was  being  done,  she  must  have  on 
a  calico  wrapper  of  Mrs.  Brown's  and  sit  in 
the  rocking  chair  by  the  kitchen  window.  But 
she  didn't  care,  for  the  farmer's  wife  let  her 
bring  in  one  of  the  little  yellow  fluffy  chickens. 

And  then  all  the  merry  getting  ready  of  the 
big  dinner  was  going  on,  and  the  little  pink 
calico  gown  had  to  have  its  back  breadth 
smooth,  so  Mrs.  Brown  set  a  flat-iron  on 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  DAY          339 

the    stove,    and    got    out    the    ironing-board. 

"  It's  jest  'xactly  as  if  I  had  got  a  little 
girl,"  she  kept  saying  to  herself  with  happy 
throbs  of  the  heart. 

And  then,  Phronsie  had  to  stumble  to  the 
door  as  well  as  she  could  for  Mrs.  Brown's 
big  wrapper  catching  her  feet,  and  put  the  lit- 
tle chicken  out. 

"  I'm  afraid  he  won't  find  his  way  home," 
she  grieved. 

"  I'll  carry  him  back,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

So  Phronsie  put  the  little  yellow  fluffy  chick 
into  Mamsie's  hand,  and  went  into  the  big  bed- 
room. And  when  she  came  back,  the  little 
pink  calico  gown  all  clean  and  smooth,  and 
buttoned  on  by  Mrs.  Brown,  why,  there  was 
Mamsie  back  again,  and  the  old  clock  in  the 
corner  said  as  plain  as  a  clock  could  say, 
"  Time  for  dinner !  " 

And  then  after  that  big  splendid  dinner  was 
over,  and  the  ducks'  backs  didn't  have  any 
covering  on  to  speak  of,  Farmer  Brown  took 
Davie  off  to  see  the  "  bossies,"  and  Phronsie 
crooned  a  little  song  of  delight  —  for  wasn't 
she  going  to  help  Mrs.  Brown  and  Mamsie  to 
wipe  the  dishes? 


340  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

And  then  she  never  could  remember  what 
was  done  next.  For  the  first  thing  she  knew, 
somebody  was  saying  over  her  head  —  and 
that  was  Mrs.  Brown,  "  It's  a  pity  to  wake 
her!"  And  Phronsie  rolled  over  on  Mrs. 
Brown's  big  bed  and  opened  her  blue  eyes, 
and  there  was  Mother  Pepper, —  and  she  said, 
"  But  we  really  must  start  for  home  now." 

And  then  the  pink  sunbonnet  was  tied  on, 
and  Davie  came  running  up,  his  hands  full  of 
treasures  that  Farmer  Brown  had  given  him. 
And  there  was  the  old  wagon  with  the  big 
white  horse  waiting  by  the  porch.  And  then 
she  was  lifted  in  and  put  on  Mrs.  Brown's  lap, 
a  basket  of  goodies  on  the  floor,  and  the 
farmer  took  up  the  old  leather  reins. 

"  Let  'er  go,  Bill/'  he  said. 

And  the  beautiful  day  was  over. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  UNINVITED  GUEST 

'""pHEY'RE  coming!"  announced  Joel, 
•*•  with  a  wry  face.  "  O  dear  me !  " 

"  How  fine !  "  exclaimed  Polly  brightly.  It 
was  quite  elegant  to  be  waiting  for  company, 
but  it  began  to  be  a  bit  tiresome.  Now  they 
had  really  come !  "  Hurry  and  open  the  door, 
Joe." 

Joel  deserted  the  window  and  the  green  door 
being  opened,  in  walked  Peletiah. 

"  Where's  Ezekiel  ? "  cried  Joel,  looking 
past  him. 

"  Oh,  Joel,"  exclaimed  Polly,  in  great  dis- 
tress, for  she  dearly  loved  fine  manners,  "  you 
must  shake  hands."  Then  she  put  out  her 
hand,  and  said,  "  I'm  glad  youVe  come,  Pele- 
tiah." 

Joel  stuck  out  his  little  brown  hand,  then 
drew  it  back.  "  He  won't  do  it,"  he  said,  as 
34i 


342  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Peletiah,  having  to  think  about  it  first,  wasn't 
ready. 

"Never  mind/'  said  Polly;  "isn't  Ezekiel 
,  coming  ?" 

"  My  mother  said  he  would  come  in  half 
an  hour/'  said  Peletiah,  "  and  I'm  going  to 
stay  until  five  o'clock." 

"  O  dear  me !  "  said  Joel,  turning  off  in  great 
disgust,  "  perhaps  it's  half  an  hour  now.  I'm 
going  out  to  look  for  him,"  and  he  danced  out 
to  the  flat  door-stone. 

"  Nonsense !  "  exclaimed  Polly  with  a  little 
laugh  and  hurrying  after  him.  "  Why,  it  isn't 
any  time  yet,  Joey." 

"  Why,  Polly  Pepper !  "  declared  Joel,  hop- 
ping up  and  down  impatiently,  "  it's  an  awful 
long  time,  and  he  keeps  saying  things  over  and 


over." 


"  Well,  never  mind,"  said  Polly  again. 
"  Now,  you  must  come  in  and  we'll  begin  to 
play  something." 

"  He  can't  play,"  said  Joel,  <(  and  he  keeps 
saying  things  over  and  over." 

"  Well,  you're  just  doing  that  yourself,  Joel 
Pepper,"  Polly  burst  into  a  merry  laugh. 
"  Now,  come  in." 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       343 

"  I'm  going  to  watch  for  Ezekiel,"  said  Joel 
obstinately. 

"  Oh,  no,  you  mustn't/'  cried  Polly  decid- 
edly. "  I  never  heard  of  such  a  way  to  have 
company.  You  must  come  in  and  make  him 
have  a  good  time  at  your  party."  And  she 
laid  hold  of  his  sleeve. 

"  There  isn't  any  good  time,"  grumbled 
Joel,  stumbling  along,  Polly  still  holding  his 
sleeve.  , 

"  Well  now,  boys,"  said  Polly,  shutting  the 
green  door.  "  I  think  the  first  thing  we'll  do, 
will  be  to  march." 

"  That'll  be  fine,"  exclaimed  Joel,  clapping 
his  hands.  "  I'm  going  to  lead." 

"Yes,  you  may,"  said  Polly.  "Get  the 
broom,  Joel." 

So  Joel  ran  over  and  pulled  the  broom  down 
from  its  hook  in  the  corner,  to  stick  it  up  by 
his  shoulder  and  prance  off.  "  Come  on,"  he 
shouted. 

"Come,  Peletiah,"  said  Polly,  "you  must 
march  next." 

"  I  don't  want  to  march,"  said  Peletiah,  not 
moving. 

"Oh,  yes,  you  do,"  said  Polly.     "You've 


344  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

come  to  Joel's  party,  and  this  begins  the 
party." 

Peletiah,  not  being  able  to  contradict  this, 
stepped  slowly  forward.  Then  he  stopped. 
"  Folks  don't  have  to  do  everything  they  don't 
want  to  at  a  party,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  they  do,"  said  Polly,  bobbing  her 
head  decidedly,  "  when  the  party  is  in  the 
little  brown  house.  Come  now,  you  must 
get  into  line." 

So  Peletiah,  seeing  no  help  for  it,  found 
himself  back  of  Joel  marching  off  with  his 
broom,  as  best  he  could,  while  Polly  brought 
up  the  rear. 

"  Come  on,"  shouted  Joel,  prancing  wildly 
off.  Then  he  looked  around. 

"  He  isn't  marching  —  he's  just  an  old  mud- 
turtle  crawling,"  he  cried  in  disgust. 

"  Oh,  Joel !  "  cried  Polly.  "  Now,  Peletiah, 
you  must  go  faster." 

"He  called  me  a  mud-turtle."  Peletiah 
stopped  in  his  tracks,  his  face  red  clear  up  to 
his  tow  hair. 

"Joel  oughtn't  to  have  said  that,"  said 
Polly,  "  but  you  must  go  faster.  Don't  you 
see  I  can't  march  at  all  unless  you  do." 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       345 

"  I'm  not  going  to  march,"  declared  Pele- 
tiah,  deserting  the  ranks  to  go  across  the 
kitchen  and  sit  down  in  one  of  the  chairs 
backed  up  against  the  wall,  "  and  he  called  me 
a  mud-turtle,  and  as  soon  as  I'm  rested,  I'm 
going  home." 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Polly,  "  you  couldn't  do  that. 
Why,  you  are  at  a  party.  Well  now,  don't 
let's  march.  We'll  play  something  else,  till 
Ezekiel  comes.  I  know/'  she  clapped  her 
hands  and  spun  around  once  or  twice  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor. 

Joel  threw  down  the  broom  wrath  fully. 

"  You  must  hang  it  up  first,"  said  Polly, 
coming  out  of  her  spin. 

"  I  don't  want  any  party,"  declared  Joel, 
"  not  a  single  snitch  of  one." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  do,"  said  Polly,  running  up 
to  him.  "  Hang  up  the  broom,  Joel  —  that's 
a  good  boy.  I've  thought  of  something  just 
too  splendid  for  anything." 

If  Polly  had  thought  of  "  something  just  too 
splendid  for  anything,"  that  altered  matters, 
and  after  all,  the  party  might  be  quite  worth 
while.  So  Joel  ran  and  got  the  broom  back 
on  its  nail  —  then  he  was  back. 


346  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"What  is  it  —  what  is  it?"  he  cried,  his 
black  eyes  sparkling. 

"  He  called  me  a  mud-turtle,"  said  Peletiah 
over  in  the  chair  backed  up  against  the  wall, 
"and  I'm  going  home." 

"  Oh,  no,"  Polly  ran  over  to  stand  in  front 
of  him.  "  Company  never  goes  home  from  a 
party  till  it's  over.  Besides,  we're  going  to 
play  perfectly  splendid  things,  and  there's  the 
refreshments." 

"Refreshments!"  howled  Joel,  "are  there 
going  to  be  refreshments!  Oh,  I  do  want  a 
party,  Polly,  I  do,"  and  he  swarmed  all  over 
her. 

"  Don't,  Joel,"  she  said  in  vexation.  O 
dear,  and  it  was  to  be  such  a  surprise,  and 
now  she'd  told  before  it  was  time! 

"They're  in  the  cupboard,  the  refreshments 
are,"  said  Joel,  springing  off  to  the  corner. 
"  I  know  they  are." 

"Joel,  you  mustn't,"  cried  Polly,  flying 
after  to  stop  him.  But  she  was  too  late!  He 
flung  open  the  door  of  the  old  cupboard,  and 
there  on  the  shelf  was  the  custard  pie,  and 
beside  it  three  cups  and  a  pitcher. 

"  A  pie !  "  screamed  Joel,  his  nose  wrinkling 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       347 

up,  and  he  stood  on  his  tiptoes  to  reach  it. 
"  Oh,  I  want  some  now.  Do  let  me,  Polly." 

"  For  shame,  Joel/'  cried  Polly  angrily. 
"  Come  right  straight  away."  She  seized  his 
calico  blouse. 

But  Joel  hung  with  both  hands  to  the  edge 
of  the  shelf.  And  the  green  door  opening,  in 
came  Ezekiel. 

!l  There  now,  just  see,  here's  the  rest  of  your 
company  coming,"  cried  Polly,  quite  lost  in 
her  vexation.  "  Now  I  don't  believe  I  shall 
let  you  have  any  pie  at  all." 

"  It's  my  party,"  howled  Joel,  still  hanging 
to  the  shelf  and  looking  over  his  shoulder  at 
her,  "  and  I'm  going  to  have  the  refreshments, 
Polly/' 

"  How  do  you  do,  Ezekiel,"  said  Polly. 

Ezekiel  had  on  a  new  calico  blouse,  pink  and 
white  striped,  that  the  minister's  wife  had  sat 
up  the  night  before  to  finish  for  the  party. 
And  he  was  hardly  able  to  take  his  thoughts 
from  it,  until  he  saw  the  pie,  and  underneath 
it  Joel  hanging  to  the  shelf.  Then  he  stared 
out  of  big  eyes. 

"  I'm  going  to  have  some  refreshments," 
cried  Joel  over  to  him. 


348  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Oh,  no,"  contradicted  Polly.  "Joel  has 
been  naughty,"  she  said  to  Ezekiel,  "  and  he 
ought  not  to  have  any  pie." 

"  He  called  me  a  mud-turtle,"  said  Peletiah, 
over  in  the  chair  by  the  wall.  He  concluded 
not  to  say  anything  about  going  home  since 
he  heard  "  refreshments  and  pie." 

"O  dear!"  exclaimed  Polly,  her  cheeks 
very  hot. 

"  Can't  I  have  any  pie?  "  gasped  Joel,  drop- 
ping suddenly  to  the  floor,  his  face  working 
dreadfully  as  he  tried  not  to  cry. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can,"  said  Polly 
slowly.  She  hated  to  say  it,  but  when  a  boy 
was  naughty,  why  of  course  he  ought  not  to 
have  goodies. 

Joel  threw  himself  flat  on  the  floor,  and 
sobbed  as  if  his  heart  would  break. 

"  And  I  can't  have  any,  either,"  Polly  leaned 
over  him  to  say  it,  "  because  I  got  angry." 

This  was  so  very  dreadful  that  Joel  raised 
his  head  to  look  at  her,  the  tears  dripping  off 
from  his  round  cheeks.  And  the  old  kitchen 
became  so  very  still,  you  could  have  heard  a 
pin  drop. 

Peletiah  slipped  off  from  his  chair  and  came 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       349 

slowly  up.  "And  I  was  naughty,  too,"  he 
said,  "  'cause  I  was  going  home." 

"  Then  Ezekiel  will  have  the  whole  pie," 
cried  Joel,  and  down  went  his  head  again  to 
the  floor,  where  he  kicked  and  screamed  so 
that  all  the  pins  in  the  world  dropping  couldn't 
possibly  have  been  heard. 

Did  ever  anybody  see  such  a  party!  Polly 
clasped  her  hands  tightly  and  said  to  herself, 
"  I  won't  cry !  Oh,  if  Mamsie  were  only 
here!" 

But  it  wouldn't  do  any  good  to  keep  saying 
that  to  herself.  She  must  do  something. 
She  swallowed  very  hard.  "  I'm  going  to  play 
'  Old  Father  Dubbin/  "  she  cried,  and  spun 
out  to  the  middle  of  the  old  kitchen  floor. 

Up  came  Joel's  head.  "Are  you  really 
going  to  play  'Old  Father  Dubbin,'  Polly?" 
he  cried,  blinking  through  his  tears. 

"Of  course,  I  am,"  cried  Polly  gayly,  run- 
ning into  the  bedroom  to  kneel  down  before 
the  bottom  drawer  of  Mamsie's  big  bureau. 
Here  Polly  kept  the  things  for  that  much- 
prized  play  of  "Old  Father  Dubbin." 
Phronsie's  red-topped  shoes  were  there,  too, 
and  the  other  few  treasures  possessed  by  the 


350  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Five  Little  Peppers."  All  except  the  fish- 
hooks, and  the  dried  bugs,  and  such  choice  pos- 
sessions that  Joel  and  David  exulted  in. 
Those  Mother  Pepper  said  must  be  kept  up 
in  the  loft. 

Polly  dragged  out  "  Old  Father  Dubbin's  " 
queer  little  hat,  and  the  rest  of  his  things. 
Her  heart  beat  dreadfully  and  one  or  two  tears 
dropped  into  the  drawer.  "  I  mustn't  cry  — 
anyway,  not  until  the  party  is  over,"  she  said, 
shutting  the  drawer. 

Out  in  the  kitchen  Joel  was  prancing  about, 
screaming,  "  We're  going  to  play  *  Old  Father 
Dubbin ' — we  are !  "  until  Ezekiel  ran  up  to 
him.  "  I'm  going  to  play  it,  too."  So  Joel 
seized  his  arms  and  they  spun  around  together. 

Peletiah  fidgeted  first  on  one  foot,  then  on 
the  other.  At  last  he  said,  "  I  will  play  it, 
too."  And  he  tried  to  get  in  between  the  two 
boys.  But  he  was  so  slow,  they  only  bumped 
into  him,  almost  knocking  him  over. 

"  You  don't  know  how,"  Joel  was  just  going 
to  scream  at  him,  as  they  spun  past  him. 
Then  he  remembered,  "  Well,  come  on,"  he 
said,  opening  his  arms. 

Before    he    knew    it,    Peletiah    was    being 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       351 

danced  about  till  he  thought  his  head  would 
fly  off.  Then  he  was  quite  sure  it  would.  He 
tried  to  say,  " Stop"  but  he  didn't  get  breath 
enough. 

"My  goodness!"  exclaimed  "Old  Father 
Dubbin,"  coming  out  of  the  bedroom,  as  they 
whirled  past.  The  minute  they  caught  sight 
of  the  old  gentleman,  Joel  gave  a  squeal  and 
the  dance  came  to  such  a  sudden  stop  that 
Peletiah's  feet  flew  out  from  under  him  and 
down  he  sat  on  the  floor.  Ezekiel  sank  pant- 
ing down  beside  him. 

"  Well  now,"  "  Old  Father  Dubbin  "  looked 
through  his  big  spectacles,  which  were  nothing 
but  holes  and  a  pasteboard  frame  tied  around 
his  head,  "  you  must  all  rest,  before  we  begin 
the  play." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  roared  Joel,  "  I'm  not  tired, 
not  a  single  squinchy  bit." 

"  But  the  company  is,"  said  Old  Father 
Dubbin,  resting  on  his  staff. 

Joel  looked  down  impatiently  on  the  two 
boys.  "  You  aren't  tired,  are  you  ?  "  he  said, 
"  not  a  bit,  are  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  most  dreadfully  tired,"  declared  Pele- 
tiah,  taking  up  one  foot  to  rub  it.  "  And  you 


352  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

stepped  all  over  me,  and  wouldn't  let  me  stop, 
either." 

"  Humph !  "  said  Joel  disdainfully,  turning 
on  his  small  heel.  "  Well,  when  can  we  be- 
gin ?  "  he  teased,  going  over  to  Old  Father 
Dubbin. 

"Just  as  soon  as  the  company  is  rested/' 
said  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Begin  with  me  —  do  begin  with  me/' 
cried  Joel,  circling  around  him,  "please,  Old 
Father  Dubbin." 

Polly  was  just  going  to  say,  "  It  isn't  polite 
to  begin  before  company  is  ready,"  and  then 
when  she  thought  what  a  dreadful  time  they 
had  all  had,  she  said,  "  All  right.  Now  come 


on." 


And  they  did  come  on,  Old  Father  Dubbin 
and  Joel ;  and  Ezekiel  forgot  how  tired  he  was 
and  screamed  with  delight,  and  Peletiah  let  his 
foot  take  care  of  itself,  and  pretty  soon  the 
two  boys  hopped  up  and  said  they  were 
"  plenty  rested,"  and  then  the  old  kitchen  was 
in  an  uproar. 

So  of  course  no  one  heard  what  was  hap- 
pening in  the  bedroom. 

There  was  a  string  of  thin  old  gold  beads 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST       353 

that  Mrs.  Pepper  kept  rolled  up  in  soft  paper 
in  the  little  drawer  at  the  top  of  the  bureau. 
They  used  to  be  worn  on  Father  Pepper's 
grandmother's  neck,  and  were  to  be  Polly's 
some  time,  as  the  one  treasure  that  was  left. 
Now  they  were  spread  on  the  old  patched  bed- 
quilt,  and  somebody  in  a  black  hat  pulled  down 
over  his  eyes,  stopped  to  gaze  at  them. 
Then  he  turned  off  to  pull  things  over  in 
the  bureau  once  more,  every  now  and  then 
pausing  to  listen  to  the  babel  going  on  in  the 
kitchen.  But  as  the  window  was  open,  he 
didn't  care  very  much  if  the  noise  did  stop,  for 
couldn't  he  spring  out  at  the  least  warning  just 
as  easily  as  he  jumped  in,  pray  tell!  So  he 
rummaged  on. 

At  last,  Old  Father  Dubbin  held  up  his  staff. 
"  All  done,"  he  said,  "  the  play  is  over."  And 
Joel  might  tease  and  tease  —  there  was  to  be 
no  more  for  that  day.  Everybody  must  sit 
down  to  draw  a  long  breath. 

Then  the  person  in  the  bedroom  took  his 
hand  out  of  the  bureau  drawer,  and  stepping 
over  to  the  bed  he  gathered  up  Father  Pepper's 
grandmother's  gold  beads,  slipped  them  into 
his  pocket,  and  jumped  out  of  the  window. 


354  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"O  dear,  I'm  so  hot!"  cried  Joel,  seeing 
that  there  was  to  be  no  more  "  Old  Father 
Dubbin,"  no  matter  how  he  teased,  "  I'm  going 
to  get  Mamsie's  fan.  Can't  I,  Polly?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly.  It  was  Joel's  party  and 
they'd  had  such  a  dreadful  time, —  and  a  sorry 
little  look  came  into  the  brown  eyes, —  Mamsie 
surely  would  let  him  take  it.  So  Joel  dashed 
into  the  bedroom  to  get  the  big  palm-leaf  fan 
that  was  stuck  into  the  frame  of  the  looking 
glass  over  the  bureau. 

Then  they  heard  a  dreadful  scream  that 
brought  Old  Father  Dubbin  into  the  bedroom, 
and  after  him  the  two  Henderson  boys. 

There  was  Joel,  his  black  eyes  wide  with 
excitement,  and  swinging  his  arms.  "  A 
burglar!"  he  shouted,  "I'll  catch  him,"  and 
he  dashed  to  the  window  and  jumped  out. 

Old  Father  Dubbin  took  one  look  all 
around ;  then  flew  over  to  the  bed.  There  was 
the  roll  of  soft  old  paper  that  had  held  Father 
Pepper's  grandmother's  gold  beads,  but  empty. 
Polly  dashed  wildly  out  through  the  kitchen, 
flung  the  green  door  wide  and  rushed  after 
Joel. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

GREAT-GRANDMOTHER  PEPPER'S 
BEADS 

"HpHERE'S  the  little  brown  house!  "  cried 
-••     Davie,  just  as  if  he  had  never  seen  it. 
"  And  Joel  has  had  a  party ! "  all  in  the  same 
breath. 

"Joel  has  had  a  party,"  hummed  Phronsie 
in  Mrs.  Brown's  lap,  "  a  beyewtiful  party," 
her  pink  sunbonnet  flying  back  with  the  jolts 
of  the  old  white  horse  over  the  rough  road. 

Mrs.  Pepper's  eyes  grew  suddenly  bright. 
"  You  have  been  so  very  good  to  us,  dear 
Mrs.  Brown,"  she  said,  leaning  over  to  whis- 
per the  words. 

The  farmer's  wife  held  Phronsie  closer,  but 
did  not  trust  herself  to  speak. 

"  At  least,"  she  said,  clearing  her  throat, 
"you'll  come  again." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  Mrs.  Pepper  was  about  to 
reply,  but  David  screamed,  "  There's  Joel  — 
Oh,  do  let  me  get  out ! " 
355 


356  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

"  Whoa!  "  cried  the  farmer,  and  Da  vie  was 
out,  over  the  wheel  in  a  twinkling,  and  rush- 
ing up  to  Joel  sitting  on  a  big  stone  by  the 
roadside,  and  the  very  picture  of  woe. 

"Oh,  Joel!"  cried  David,  flinging  himself 
up  against  him,  "  what's  the  matter  ?  Mamsie 
—  he's  sick,"  flying  back  to  the  wagon  and 
wringing  his  hands. 

"  Don't  worry  your  ma.  She'll  get  out  as 
soon  as  she  can,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

Mrs.  Pepper  was  already  out  at  her  side 
of  the  wagon,  and  reaching  Joel  on  his  stone. 
The  happy  expectant  look  had  gone  from  her 
eyes,  but  she  still  smiled. 

"  He's  sick,  Mamsie,"  cried  Davie  fran- 
tically, and  kneeling  down  to  seize  Joel's 
hands. 

"  I'm  not,"  declared  Joel  in  a  dudgeon, 
"  sick  one  single  bit.  I  didn't  catch  him  and 
he's  gone." 

"Who  has  gone,  Joel?"  Mrs.  Pepper  put 
her  hands  on  his  two  shoulders.  "  Look  up 
and  tell  Mother." 

Joel  raised  his  black  eyes  and  cried  wrath- 
fully,  "And  he  took  your  gold  beads,  Mam- 


sie." 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       357 

"  Oh,  Joel,  not  those !  "  For  once  Mother 
Pepper  forgot  herself  and  her  hands  dropped 
to  her  side.  The  little  thin  string  of  gold 
beads  was  all  she  had  to  hand  down  to  Polly 
as  a  link  from  the  past. 

"  I'll  go  after  him  some  more/'  screamed 
Joel  wildly,  and  jumping  from  his  stone. 
He  had  an  awful  feeling  at  his  heart,  for 
Mamsie  had  never  given  up  like  that  before. 

"  No,  no,  Joel,"  Mother  Pepper  managed  a 
smile,  and  seized  his  sleeve. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  the  farmer's 
wife,  clumsily  picking  her  way  up  to  them 
over  the  thick  uneven  grass,  and  still  holding 
Phronsie's  hand. 

"  Nothing  so  very  bad,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  Nothing  so  very  bad !  "  echoed  Joel,  turn- 
ing big  eyes  up  to  his  mother. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  cheerfully,  "  as 
long  as  nobody  is  sick.  Where  is  Polly  ?  " 
she  asked,  a  white  line  beginning  to  show  itself 
around  her  mouth. 

"  She's  gone  after  Ben,  and  she  told  me  to 
stay  here  and  tell  you,"  said  Joel  gloomily, 
"  And  I  was  going  after  the  burglar  some 
more,"  he  added  in  an  injured  tone.  "  I'm 


358  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

going  now."  He  leaped  away,  and  in  another 
second  would  have  been  around  the  bushes  and 
out  of  sight. 

"  Joel !  "  Mother  Pepper's  voice  was  low, 
but  it  brought  him  back.  "  I  need  you  now." 
She  took  his  little  brown  hand,  "  You  can  help 
me  so  much." 

"  I'll  help  you,  Mamsie,"  said  Joel,  feeling 
very  tall  and  important.  "  You  don't  have 
to  come,  Davie;  Mamsie's  got  me,"  he  said 
over  his  shoulder,  as  Davie  crowded  up. 

"  Oh,  I  want  Davie ;  we  shall  both  need 
him,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  You  can  come,"  said  Joel  patronizingly, 
and  striding  off,  clinging  to  Mrs.  Pepper's 
hand. 

Davie  lifted  his  face  that  had  become  quite 
downcast  with  this  dreadful  trouble  coming 
to  Mamsie,  and  then,  too,  not  being  wanted  to 
help,  and  trotted  after. 

The  farmer's  wife  not  having  heard  the 
word  "  burglar,"  grasped  Phronsie's  hand 
tighter  yet.  "Come,  child,"  she  said,  "an' 
you  an'  me'll  find  out  what's  ben  goin'  on." 

"  We'll  find  out,"  Phronsie  cried  with  a  lit- 
tle gurgle  of  delight,  skipping  along  by  the 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       359 

clumsy  footsteps,  "  and  I'll  show  you  my  little 
brown  house." 

"  So  you  shall,  you  sweet  lamb,  you,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Brown,  yet  with  a  heavy  heart 
against  the  hour  when  she  and  the  farmer 
would  be  in  the  big  wagon  and  on  the  May- 
bury  road,  going  home,  just  those  two. 

Once  in  the  old  kitchen,  the  story  came  out, 
with  many  jerks  from  Joel,  as  he  often 
stopped  to  bemoan  the  loss  of  a  chance  to  cap- 
ture the  burglar,  and  the  positive  assurance 
that  he  could  have  beaten  him  to  nothing  if 
he  had  only  been  there. 

"  My  senses !  —  your  gold  beads !  "  ex- 
claimed the  farmer's  wife.  She  had  sat  down 
in  Mrs.  Pepper's  calico-covered  rocking  chair, 
and  now  she  lifted  both  hands  in  dismay. 
"  How  you  can,  Mis  Pepper,  take  it  so  easy !  " 

"  Just  think,  all  the  children  are  well,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper  with  a  smile. 

"I  know,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "but  gold 
beads  is  gold  beads." 

David,  seeing  Mother  Pepper's  smile, 
brightened  up  a  little,  as  he  sat  on  the  floor  at 
her  feet,  as  the  story  went  on.  Phronsie  was 
going  about,  patting  everything  with  loving 


3<5o  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

little  fingers,  and  humming  softly  to  herself, 
so  she  didn't  hear  how  Joel's  party  had  been 
interrupted  by  an  uninvited  guest  in  the  bed- 
room. And  how  Polly  had  run  out  in  "  Old 
Father  Dubbin's  "  rig  after  Joel  in  hot  chase 
to  catch  the  visitor,  who  had  jumped  out  of 
the  window,  without  any  one's  getting  a  sight 
of  him. 

"And  then  Polly  made  me  go  and  watch 
for  you,  while  she  went  for  Ben."  All  Joel's 
injured  feelings  now  blazed  out  again.  "  And 
she  told  me  not  to  stir  till  you  came,  or  she 
got  back.  I  could  have  caught  him  just  as 
easy."  Joel  doubled  up  his  little  brown  fists 
manfully. 

"  Polly  was  just  right,"  said  Mother  Pep- 
per, "  and  you  are  a  good  boy,  Joel.  Mother 
is  so  glad  she  can  trust  you." 

Joel's  indignation  changed  to  a  smile  that 
showed  his  little  white  teeth  —  just  as  Farmer 
Brown,  having  tied  "  Jingo  "  to  a  post  in  the 
fence,  walked  in.  "  Well,  did  you  have  a 
good  party,  Joe  ? "  he  asked  breezily,  not 
knowing  anything  about  burglars  or  any  other 
trouble. 

"  And  did  you  like  th'  custard  pie  ?  "  cried 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       361 

Mrs.  Brown,  gazing  about  for  any  evidences 
of  the  feast. 

Joel  ran  up  to  the  big  chair.  "  We  haven't 
had  it." 

"  Oh,  well,  you've  had  other  things  to  think 
about  beside  custard  pie,"  said  the  farmer's 
wife.  "  Well,  I  s'pose  likely  that  Polly  put 
it  away." 

"  I  know  where  she's  put  it,"  Joel  pranced 
over  to  swing  the  door  of  the  old  cupboard 
wide  open.  "  Here  'tis ! "  He  stood  on  his 
tiptoes,  clinging  to  the  upper  shelf  where  the 
big  custard  pie,  with  a  pitcher  of  weak  lemon- 
ade and  some  teacups  stood,  ready  to  be  sum- 
moned when  Polly  should  decide  that  the 
proper  time  for  refreshments  had  arrived. 

"  I'm  going  to  get  it  down  now !  "  cried  Joel, 
jumping  up  to  reach  it  with  wild  little  hands. 

"  No,  no,  Joel,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

And  the  farmer's  wife  cried,  "  For  mercy's 
sake,  Mr.  Brown,  lift  that  pie  down,  or  that 
boy  will  smash  it."  So  the  big  custard  pie 
was  safely  taken  from  the  shelf  and  set  on 
the  table. 

"  Dave,  see  —  the  custard  pie !  "  screamed 
Joel,  waving  frantically  for  David  to  come. 


362  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  There's  somethin'  in  th'  pitcher,"  said  the 
farmer,  handing  down  the  lemonade.  "  I 
guess  that's  for  th'  party."  So  he  set  that  on 
the  table,  too. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  "Mr.  Atkins 
gave  Davie  a  couple  of  lemons  the  other  day. 
And  Polly  has  made  this  for  Joel's  party." 

"I  want  it  now  —  my  party,"  cried  Joel, 
and  pulling  out  the  table  drawer  to  get  the  big 
knife.  Then  he  suddenly  stopped.  "  I've  got 
to  wait  for  Polly,"  he  said. 

"  You  better  wait  till  your  big  brother  gets 
here,  too,"  said  the  farmer,  pointing  with  a 
thumb  over  his  shoulder  in  the  direction  he 
supposed  Polly  and  Ben  would  appear. 

"  Yes,  so  I  say,"  cried  Mrs.  Brown,  sway- 
ing comfortably  back  and  forth  in  the  rocking- 
chair. 

"  They're  never  coming,"  declared  Joel,  in 
anguish  at  any  proposed  postponement  of  the 
cutting  of  the  pie.  Still  he  must  see  Polly 
before  it  was  cut. 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder  ef  they  was  comin' 
down  th*  road  this  very  minute,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown. 

"  You  better  run  an'  see,"  added  the  farmer. 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       363 

So  Joel  tore  himself  away  from  the  pie,  and 
dashed  out  and  down  to  the  gate,  Davie  at 
his  heels. 

"  Ef  we  can  help  you,  Mis  Pepper,"  said 
the  farmer,  "we'll  stay  —  but  ef  so  be  there's 
nothin'  my  wife  an'  me  can  do,  why,  we  must 
be  streakin'  it  for  home." 

"  We  don't  need  to  start  jest  yet,  Pa,"  ob- 
jected his  wife,  all  her  eyes  following 
Phronsie. 

"  Now,  Ma,  you  won't  be  a  bit  spryer  to  go, 
ef  you  set  for  another  hour.  I'm  a-goin'  ef 
we  can't  help  Mis  Pepper." 

"  Maybe  we  can  help  her,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown,  clinging  to  any  straw  that  might  delay 
the  setting  out  for  home. 

But  Mrs.  Pepper  shook  her  head  —  so  far 
as  any  assistance  was  concerned.  "  I  wish 
you  could  stay,"  she  said.  But  this  Mr. 
Brown  wouldn't  do,  so  the  farmer's  wife,  see- 
ing that  there  was  no  help  for  it,  got  slowly 
out  of  her  chair,  and  the  leave-taking  began. 
And  just  as  they  were  finally  in  the  big  wagon, 
up  rushed  Polly  and  Ben  and  Joel. 

"Anybody  seen  th'  feller?"  asked  the 
farmer  of  Ben. 


364  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Ben,  setting  his  teeth  to-* 
gether  hard. 

"  Sho  now,  that's  too  bad,"  said  Mr.  Brown 
sympathetically,  and  flicking  his  whip  over 
Jingo's  back.  "  Well,  I  s'pose  th'  Badgertown 
folks'll  keep  on  th'  lookout  for  him." 

"  Don't  say  any  more,  Pa,"  said  his  wife 
with  a  nudge,  "  for  mercy's  sake ! " 

"  Hem !  "  Mr.  Brown  cleared  his  throat, 
opened  his  mouth;  then  thought  better  of  his 
determination  to  speak,  and  shut  it  with  a 
snap. 

"  Good-by."  Mrs.  Brown,  with  no  eyes  for 
any  one  but  Phronsie,  looked  back  until  the 
turn  of  the  road  made  it  impossible  to  see  any 
one,  or  even  the  little  brown  house. 

"  Now  we  must  have  the  party  and  Joel's 
pie,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  when  the  disconsolate 
little  group  was  back  in  the  kitchen.  "  And 
you  may  get  the  knife,  Joey."  But  first,  there 
was  a  little  talk  between  Polly  and  Joel  and 
Mother  Pepper.  When  it  was  all  over,  she 
said,  "  Yes,  Polly,  you  and  Joel  may  have  some 
of  the  pie,  and  Joel  must  cut  it  now."  And 
no  one  peering  in  at  the  window  would  have 
thought  that  the  chief  treasure  of  the  house 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       365 

had  been  seized  that  afternoon  by  a  cruel  hand. 

They  didn't  want  any  supper  that  night  be- 
cause of  the  custard  pie  and  the  lemonade. 
And  after  Phronsie  was  fast  asleep  in  the 
trundle-bed,  and  the  two  boys  were  tucked 
safely  away  in  the  loft,  Polly  and  Ben  curled 
up  on  the  floor,  either  side  of  her  big  chair. 

"  I  can't  think,  Mamsie,"  began  Ben,  "  who 
it  could  be."  He  wrinkled  up  his  round  face 
in  distress. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  we  can't  think. 
But  oh,  Polly  child."  She  put  her  hand  on 
Polly's  brown  hair  and  her  voice  trembled. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Polly,  "  don't  feel  badly. 
I  don't  mind  —  so  very  much."  She  longed 
to  put  her  head  on  her  mother's  lap  and  cry, 
for  she  felt  no  bigger  than  Phronsie.  Oh, 
the  years  that  she  had  loved  those  beads,  ever 
since  she  was  a  little  girl  and  Mrs.  Pepper  had 
taken  them  out  and  told  her  that  she  was  to 
have  them  when  she  was  grown  up,  and  then 
every  time  that  this  was  done,  and  before  the 
beads  were  wrapped  up  in  the  soft  paper  and 
put  back  in  the  drawer,  the  words  of  the 
father,  who  had  died  when  Phronsie  was  a 
baby,  would  be  said  over  again. 


366  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Always  remember,  child,"  Mrs.  Pepper 
would  say,  "  what  your  father  told  you. 
'  You  must  be  good,  Polly,  to  be  worthy  to 
wear  Grandma's  beads.' ' 

And  Polly  had  always  said,  "  I  will."  And 
now  the  beads  were  gone  —  oh,  could  she  bear 
it! 

But  she  looked  at  Mother  Pepper's  face, 
and  what  father  had  said  meant,  she  very  well 
knew,  "  help  Mother,"  so  she  swallowed  the 
sobs  that  were  almost  out.  And  Ben,  as  he 
looked  at  her,  set  his  teeth  and  concluded  to 
do  the  same  thing. 

"Tell  us  about  Mr.  Brown's  farm,"  said 
Ben,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak.  "  We  want  to 
hear  about  it,  Mamsie." 

So  Mrs.  Pepper  began,  and  set  the  whole 
day  before  them  from  beginning  to  end. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Polly,  with  a  long 
breath,  "that  Davie  had  a  good  time  —  be- 
cause he  didn't  want  to  go  without  Joel." 

"  Joel  is  going  to  have  a  chance,"  said 
Mother  Pepper,  "  and  you,  Ben,  and  you,  too, 
Polly,  for  we're  all  invited  to  spend  a  day  there 
before  very  long." 

"Isn't  that  fine!"  cried   Polly,   forgetting 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       367 

for  a  moment  her  dreadful  trouble,  and  she 
clapped  her  hands.  And  Ben  was  so  pleased 
at  that,  that  he  actually  smiled. 

"  And  now  you  must  get  to  bed,  both  of 
you."  Mother  Pepper  looked  up  at  the  old 
clock  on  the  shelf.  "  Dear  me,  who  would 
think  it  was  so  late !  " 

It  was  all  of  an  hour  after,  and  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, who  had  been  sewing  by  the  light  of  the 
candle,  to  make  up  for  the  time  spent  in  the 
visit  of  that  day,  let  the  work  drop  in  her  lap, 
and  she  was  lost  in  thought. 

Suddenly  a  noise  like  a  little  mouse  at  work 
in  the  corner,  struck  upon  her  ear,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  another  not  at  all  like  one  to  be  laid 
to  a  mouse,  and  then  a  distinct,  though  soft, 
rap  was  heard. 

She  got  out  of  her  chair,  and  went  over  to 
the  big  green  door  and  opened  it. 

"  Why,  Jimmy !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  is  your 
mother  sick?  " 

An  awkward,  overgrown  boy  leaned  against 
the  door-casing,  and  covered  his  face  with  his 
hands. 

"  Tell  me  about  it,"  commanded  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, "  or  I  can't  help  you." 


368  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

The  boy  caught  his  breath,  then  gasped, 
"'Tain't  that  —  Mother's  all  right." 

"  Then  it  is  something  about  yourself,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper  kindly.  "  Now,  Jimmy,  you 
want  me  to  help  you,  or  you  wouldn't  have 
come  at  this  time  of  the  night." 

"  I've  been  walking  up  and  down,"  said 
Jimmy.  "  First,  I  waited  till  they  were  all 
abed,  'xcept  you,  and  — "  then  he  broke  down. 

"  Well,  now  that  you  have  come,  you  must 
tell  me  your  trouble,  or  I  can't  help  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper  decidedly. 

For  answer,  he  ran  his  hand  in  the  pocket  of 
his  shabby  jacket,  and  pulling  out  something, 
timidly  presented  it  —  and  Mrs.  Pepper's  fin- 
gers were  over  Polly's  gold  beads  that  Great- 
Grandmother  Pepper  had  left  her. 

"  Oh,  Jimmy ! "  all  the  gladness  over  their 
coming  back  couldn't  stop  the  pain,  "how 
could  you ! " 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  gasped,  and  he  looked 
so  distressed  that  Mrs.  Pepper  hastened  to  say, 
"  You  didn't  think,  Jimmy,  you  didn't, 
how  — " — "  wicked,"  she  was  going  to  say, 
when  he  burst  out,  "  Yes,  I  did  —  I  saw  you 
through  the  window  take  'em  out  of  the 


GRANDMOTHER'S  BEADS       369 

bureau  one  time,  and  roll  'em  up  again  and 
put  'em  back.  And  I  —  I  —  wanted  to  go  to 
the  circus  —  it's  coming  to  Cherryville  next 
week,  and  —  and — " 

It  was  no  use,  he  couldn't  go  on  with  Mrs. 
Pepper's  black  eyes  on  him,  but  cowered  worse 
yet  against  the  door-casing. 

"  But  you've  brought  them  back,"  at  last 
Mrs.  Pepper  made  herself  say,  "  that  was  good 
of  you,  Jimmy." 

"I  —  I  couldn't  keep  'em.  You've  been 
awful  nice  to  Mother.  Don't  tell  her,"  he 
brought  himself  up  in  sudden  terror.  "  You 
won't  —  oh,  you  won't,  Mrs.  Pepper ! "  he 
begged,  shaking  all  over. 

"  I  won't,  Jimmy,"  promised  Mrs.  Pepper. 
"  Now  see  here,  my  boy,  you're  almost  a  man 
—  and  I'm  going  to  see  you  make  a  man  that 
we  all  in  Badgertown  will  be  proud  of."  She 
put  her  hand  on  his  shoulder.  "  Now  run 
home  and  hop  into  bed." 


CHAPTER  XXV 
JIMMY 

'  I  %HERE  was  a  sound  of  somebody  hurry- 
"••  ing  along  the  road  back  of  her,  who 
wasn't  accustomed  to  running,  and  who 
couldn't  walk  fast.  And  then  that  somebody 
gasped,  "  Mrs.  Pepper!  " 

Mrs.  Pepper  turned,  "Why,  Mary  Pote!" 

"  Well,"  said  Mary  Pote,  bringing  her  short 
roly-poly  figure  to  a  standstill  and  putting  her 
hand  to  her  side,  "  I'm  mortal  glad  you 
stopped,  for  I  couldn't  have  held  out  much 
more.  I've  been  chasin'  you  clear  from  At- 
kins's store."  She  brought  this  all  out  in 
gasps. 

"  Now  that's  too  bad,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pep- 
per sympathetically. 

"You   see—     My!   but   I'm   hot."     Mary 
Pote  twitched  off  her  leghorn  hat,  and  began 
to  fan  herself  furiously. 
370 


JIMMY  371 

Mrs.  Pepper  looked  about.  "  There's  a  big 
stone,"  she  said,  "  let  us  sit  down." 

"I'm  sure  I'm  glad  to,"  said  Mary  Pote, 
going  off  to  the  roadside  after  her,  and  sink- 
ing down  under  an  old  scrub-oak,  over  which 
blackberry  vines  scrambled  at  their  own  sweet 
will.  Mrs.  Pepper  sat  down  on  the  other  end 
of  the  stone,  and  placed  the  bundle  of  coats 
Mr.  Atkins  had  given  her,  on  the  grass  at  her 
feet. 

"When  I  get  my  breath  enough,  I'll  tell 
you,"  said  Mary  Pote,  "  what  I  was  following 
you  for." 

Mrs.  Pepper  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap, 
and  let  her  gaze  wander  off  to  the  hills  en- 
circling Badgertown.  It  was  hard  to  remem- 
ber when  she  had  done  a  thing  like  this,  idling 
of  a  morning  on  a  roadside  stone. 

"  Well  now,"  said  Mary  Pote,  "  I'm  getting 
my  second  wind  and  I'll  begin.  Miss  Parrott 
sent  me  down  to  say  that  she  wanted  to  have 
you  and  the  children  go  to  the  circus  to-mor- 
row at  Cherryville." 

"  To  the  circus! "  Mrs.  Pepper  hastily 
turned  her  gaze  from  the  hills  and  turned  to 
Mary  Pote  in  blank  amazement. 


372  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  To  the  circus,  I  said/'  Mary  Pote  nodded 
and  picked  off  a  spear  of  grass  to  break  into 
small  bits  and  scatter  in  her  lap,  "though  if 
all  is  told,  I  b'lieve  it's  a  sight  more  of  a 
menagerie  than  any  other  show.  Anyway, 
Miss  Parrott  told  me  to  tell  you  that  she  was 
going  to  send  you  all  to  it,  if  you'd  go." 

"  Not  all  of  us  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Pepper  incred- 
ulously. 

"  Every  single  one  of  you.  I'll  give  you 
her  very  words, — '  Mary  Pote,  you  go  down 
and  say  to  Mrs.  Pepper  that  I  want  her  and 
all  the  children  to  go  to  the  circus  to-morrow. 
Mind,  Mary  Pote,  Mrs.  Pepper  and  every  one 
of  the  Five  Little  Peppers/  There  you  have 
it."  She  picked  off  a  second  spear  of  grass 
and  sent  the  bits  after  the  others. 

Mrs.  Pepper  drew  a  long  breath.  "  Oh,  I 
don't  think  I  can/'  she  said. 

"  I  wouldn't  think,  if  I  was  you/'  said  Mary 
Pote,  "I  never  do  when  Miss  Parrott  says  a 
thing,  but  I  just  get  up  and  do  it." 

"  It's  so  good  of  her,"  began  Mrs.  Pepper. 
Oh,  to  have  Polly  see  the  animals  that  she  was 
always  making  up  into  stories  to  keep  the  chil- 
dren quiet,  and  Phronsie  —  only  think  of  her 


JIMMY  373 

delight  over  the  monkeys.  And  there  was 
Joel  —  well,  Mrs.  Pepper  by  this  time  was  so 
excited  that  she  turned  a  face  on  which  two 
red  spots  were  coming  in  her  cheeks.  Mary 
Pote  had  the  good  sense  to  let  the  thing  work 
itself  out,  and  kept  quiet. 

And  Davie,  could  Mother  Pepper  ever  for- 
get his  face  when  the  circus  came  to  Cherry- 
ville  last,  and  almost  all  Badgertown  folks 
went  over  but  the  little-brown-house  people? 
And  Davie,  his  eyes  on  her,  had  tried  to  smile 
when  Joel  howled  in  his  distress  at  missing  it. 
And  there  was  good,  faithful  Ben,  who 
wouldn't  even  show  that  above  all  things  he 
had  longed  to  see  a  circus. 

"  I  would  like  to  have  the  children  see  it," 
she  said  slowly  —  her  eyes  alight. 

"Well,  if  I  was  you  —  I  wouldn't  sit  on 
that  stone  considering  it  any  longer/'  said 
Mary  Pote.  "  Miss  Parrott  is  one  to  speak 
her  mind,  and  if  she  asks  you,  you  might  take 
it  for  granted  that  she  wants  you.  Well,  I 
must  get  back  —  she  took  me  off  from  that 
black  silk  basque  I  was  finishing,  to  come 
down.  Simmons  is  going  to  pick  me  up  at 
Mr.  Beebe's  shoe-shop,  so  I  must  get  there  as 


374  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

soon  as  I  can."  Mary  Pote  rose  from  her  end 
of  the  big  stone  and  shook  her  front  breadth 
free  of  the  grass  bits.  "  Well,  is  it  yes  or 
no  ?  "  she  said. 

"  It  is  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  her  voice 
trembling  with  happiness,  "  and  oh,  Mary 
Pote,  will  you  tell  her  how  I  thank  her.  She 
is  so  good  to  ask  us." 

"  I'll  tell  her."  Mary  Pote  pushed  back  her 
little  corkscrew  curls  on  either  side  of  her 
round  face  and  clapped  on  her  leghorn  hat. 

"  Oh,"  turning  back,  "  she  said,  '  tell  Mrs. 
Pepper  to  be  ready  at  eleven  o'clock.' ' 

'  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  scarcely  realizing 
the  bliss  that  was  actually  in  her  grasp. 

"And  one  thing  more,"  Mary  Pote  looked 
over  her  shoulder.  "  She  said  you'd  find  the 
lunch-basket  in  the  carriage." 

Mrs.  Pepper  tried  to  say  something;  but 
Mary  Pote  was  moving  off  intent  on  reaching 
old  Mr.  Beebe's  shoe-shop,  for  Simmons  didn't 
like  to  wait  for  any  one  sent  on  errands,  and 
he  could  make  it  very  unpleasant  for  days  if 
thus  detained. 

Suddenly  Mrs.  Pepper  started,  took  a  step 
forward  —  then  another  and  faster,  all  her 


JIMMY  375 

effort  being  to  overtake  the  little  roly-poly 
figure  hurrying  over  the  dusty  road. 

"  Mary  —  Mary  Pote!"  Her  voice  was  so 
clear  that  it  carried  well,  and  her  steps  so  rapid 
that  she  soon  stood  beside  the  little  woman. 

"  Now  you  aren't  going  to  say  *  No.' '  Mary 
Pote  regarded  her  with  disfavor. 

"  I've  come  for  something  else  —  to  ask  you 
to  beg  a  favor  of  Miss  Parrott."  The  color 
flew  suddenly  out  of  Mrs.  Pepper's  cheek,  but 
she  went  on  bravely.  Mary  Pote  stared  with 
all  her  eyes. 

"  It's  this,"  Mrs.  Pepper  went  on  rapidly. 
It  was  best  to  get  it  out  as  soon  as  possible. 
"  To  beg  her  to  let  me  take  another  boy  with 
my  children." 

"  What  boy?  "  asked  Mary  Pote  abruptly. 

"  Jimmy  Skinner." 

"  What  —  that  woman  that  lives  on 
Fletcher  Road  — her  boy?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"He's  an  idle,  good-for-nothing  boy,"  de- 
clared Mary  Pote,  shaking  her  head  decidedly 
till  the  corkscrew  curls  flew  out.  "  No,  I 
don't  b'lieve  Miss  Parrott  would  ever  counte- 
nance his  going  in  all  this  world." 


376  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  His  mother  works  so  hard  —  it  would 
please  her,"  began  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  That's  true  enough,  but  the  boy,  no,  he 
ain't  worth  doing  things  for.  I  shouldn't 
think  you'd  want  him  along  with  your  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Pepper."  She  regarded  her  cu- 
riously. 

"  Jimmy  thinks  a  great  deal  of  his  mother," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper.  She  fastened  her  black 
eyes  on  the  little  woman's  face.  "  That's 
enough  to  save  any  boy.  Won't  you  ask  Miss 
Parrott  to  let  him  go?" 

"What?  Me  ask  her?  Oh,  I  couldn't/' 
Mary  Pote  started  back  and  put  up  both  hands. 
"  I'll  do  anything  to  oblige  you,  Mrs.  Pepper, 
but  I  couldn't  do  that.  Besides,  she'd  only 
say  '  No/  " 

"Well,  good-by,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  She 
turned  and  went  rapidly  back  to  the  big  stone, 
picked  up  her  bundle,  and  sped  home. 

Polly  ran  out  to  meet  her,  and  take  the 
bundle  of  coats.  "  I'm  going  on  an  errand, 
child,"  said  her  mother,  "  and  I  may  be  home 
a  little  late,  so  don't  worry." 

Polly's  brown  eyes  looked  questions,  but 
Mrs.  Pepper  only  smiled,  as  she  turned  off. 


JIMMY  377 

She  didn't  give  herself  much  time  to  reflect 
all  the  way  to  the  Parrott  estate.  And  at  last 
Hooper  was  ushering  her  into  the  solemn 
drawing  room  with  its  rich  furniture  and 
heavy  brocaded  hangings,  and  presently  Miss 
Parrott  was  before  her, —  and  the  thing  was 
to  be  done. 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Pepper,  do  take  off  your  bon- 
net, you  look  so  tired,  and  I  will  give  you  some 
tea."  And  Miss  Parrott's  heavy  black  silk 
gown  was  trailing  across  the  room  to  the  bell- 
cord. 

"  Oh,  no,  please,"  Mrs.  Pepper  put  up  a  pro- 
testing hand.  "  I  must  speak  to  you  —  please, 
Miss  Parrott." 

It  was  so  pleading  a  tone,  very  like  Polly's, 
that  Miss  Parrott  turned  back  and  sat  down 
in  the  high-backed  chair,  regarding  her  visitor 
curiously. 

"  You  are  so  good  to  me  and  to  my  children 
that  I  cannot  thank  you  enough,  Miss  Par- 
rott," began  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  There  —  there,"  returned  Miss  Parrott, 
raising  a  protesting  hand,  only  it  sparkled 
with  ancestral  rings.  "  Mary  Pote  brought 
back  your  thanks,  so  say  no  more  about  that." 


378  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Miss  Parrott."  Mrs.  Pepper  hesitated  a 
bit,  then  took  the  plunge,  "  I  very  much  wish 
that  a  boy  might  go  to  the  circus  with  me  and 
my  children."  It  was  all  done  in  one  sentence. 

"  A  boy  ?  "  Miss  Parrott  gazed  at  her.  It 
seemed  like  a  long  time,  but  it  was  really  only 
a  breathing  space.  "What  boy,  Mrs.  Pep- 
per?" 

"  Jimmy  Skinner." 

Miss  Parrott's  long  face  dropped.  If  Mary 
Pote  had  been  there,  she  could  tell  the  "  signs 
of  the  times "  it  gave.  Mrs.  Pepper  could 
guess,  but  her  black  eyes  did  not  droop,  and 
now  she  went  on  steadily. 

"  His  mother  lives  on  Fletcher  Road,  a 
hard-working  woman,  glad  to  do  anything." 

Miss  Parrott's  brow  wrinkled.  "  Go  on," 
she  said,  "if  you  please,  Mrs.  Pepper." 

"And  Jimmy  thinks  a  great  deal  of  his 
mother,"  Mrs.  Pepper  considering  it  wise  to 
bring  this  point  to  the  front  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible, went  on  pleadingly. 

"If  I  remember  rightly,"  said  Miss  Par- 
rott drily,  "  that  Jimmy  is  considered  by  the 
village  people  to  be  an  idle,  good-for-nothing 
boy,  Mrs.  Pepper." 


JIMMY  379 

"Yes,  he's  idle,"  confessed  Mrs.  Pepper, 
"  but  I  believe  he  will  work,  for  he  thinks  so 
much  of  his  mother." 

"  And  you  want  him  to  go  to  the  circus  with 
your  children,  and  in  my  carriage ! " 

It  was  perfectly  dreadful  the  silence  that 
followed.  At  last  Mrs.  Pepper  said  in  a  low 
but  distinct  voice,  "Yes,  Miss  Parrott." 

"I  am  sorry  —  but  I  am  obliged  to  say  I 
consider  it  unwise  to  draw  that  boy  into  the 
company."  Miss  Parrott  drew  herself  up 
stiffly  against  the  high-backed  chair,  till  she 
looked  exactly  like  the  portrait  in  the  wide 
hall,  the  most  disagreeable  of  all  the  ancestors 
whom  she  possessed. 

Mrs.  Pepper  opened  her  lips,  thought  better 
of  it,  and  closed  them.  Then  she  got  off  from 
her  chair. 

"Do  sit  down,"  Miss  Parrott  waved  her 
long  fingers.  "  I  want  to  oblige  you,  Mrs. 
Pepper,"  she  said,  struggling  to  throw  a  little 
cordiality  into  her  manner  and  tone,  "  but  I 
cannot  see  my  way  clear  to  grant  this  re- 
quest." 

Again  there  was  silence,  cold  and  dreadful; 
then  Mrs.  Pepper  moved  toward  the  door. 


380  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Miss  Parrott  got  out  of  her  chair,  "  Don't 
go."  She  took  a  step  or  two,  astonished  at  her- 
self. When  had  she  ever  capitulated  to  any 
one,  and  here  was  a  plain  woman  from  a  little 
brown  house  making  her  experience  such  a 
strange  desire  to  yield  to  the  distasteful  re- 
quest ! 

"  I  really  wish  you  would  tell  me,"  she  laid 
the  long  fingers  on  Mrs.  Pepper's  shawl,  "  all 
about  it  —  why  you  wish  that  boy  to  be  drawn 
in  to  the  company,  with  your  children.  It 
is  most  astonishing.  I  cannot  understand 
it." 

So  Mrs.  Pepper  suffered  herself  to  be  led, 
and  she  presently  found  herself  sitting,  this 
time  on  the  brocaded  sofa,  and  Miss  Parrott 
by  her  side. 

"Jimmy  is  going  to  be  a  man,"  she  said, 
just  as  she  had  told  the  boy,  only  she  never 
whispered  a  word  of  his  wrong-doing,  "  if 
Badgertown  people  take  hold  and  help." 

"  And  would  it  help  to  take  him  to  the 
circus?" 

"  I  think  it  would  be  the  greatest  help  in  all 
this  world."  Mrs.  Pepper  leaned  forward,  her 
eyes  sparkled,  and  she  was  as  eager  as  Polly 


JIMMY  381 

now.  "  Don't  you  see,  he  longs  to  go  ? 
Every  boy  does.  And  if  he  can  be  invited  by 
you,  Miss  Parrott — " 

"  And  go  with  you,  and  the  Five  Little  Pep- 
pers/' interrupted  Miss  Parrott.  "Yes,  I  be- 
gin to  see." 

"  And  once  he  thinks  that  he's  a  boy  that 
people  believe  has  got  something  worth  while 
in  him,  why,  he'll  see  it  himself." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  finding  her- 
self thawing  all  over. 

"  And  then  when  he  sees  that,  he'll  take  hold 
and  work  —  if  it  is  found  for  him."  Here 
Mrs.  Pepper  went  more  slowly  and  looked 
fixedly  into  the  long  face. 

"  You  mean  that  perhaps  I  might  find  some 
work  for  him,"  said  Miss  Parrott.  "Well, 
perhaps  so,  but  I  haven't  got  that  boy  to  the 
circus  yet.  Let  us  settle  that  matter  first," 
and  a  grim  smile  stole  over  her  long  face. 
"  Now  proceed,  please,  Mrs.  Pepper." 

"  And  a  boy  who  has  something  worth  while 
in  him,  can't  help  but  grow  up  to  a  man,"  Mrs. 
Pepper  said  with  emphasis,  "  a  real  man,  can 
he,  Miss  Parrott?" 

"  I  suppose  not,"  said  Miss  Parrott,  a  bit 


382  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

grudgingly,  as  all  her  defenses  were  thrown 
down.  Then  she  smiled,  "  Oh,  you  may  take 
the  boy  —  that  Jimmy,"  she  said,  "  with  you 
to-morrow.  I  can't  say  I  believe  all  the  good 
is  to  result  that  you  think;  but  you  can  try 
the  scheme.  He'll  probably  worry  the  life  out 
of  you  —  tease  the  animals  almost  to  death, 
and  get  into  innumerable  scrapes  —  and  I 
should  think  you  had  enough  trouble  without 
calling  this  down  on  your  head.  But  you  can 
take  him." 

Miss  Parrott  shut  the  door  after  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, feeling  extraordinarily  light  of  heart. 
"  I  wish  I  were  going  to  the  circus,  too,"  she 
said.  Then  she  brought  herself  up,  "  What 
has  come  over  me  at  my  time  of  life?  How 
I  act!" 

Mrs.  Skinner,  down  on  Fletcher  Road,  had 
just  lighted  her  oil  lamp.  It  gave  out  a  pleas- 
ant twinkle  through  the  window,  as  Mrs.  Pep- 
per knocked  at  the  door. 

"  I  was  just  a  packin'  up  th'  wash  for  them 
boarders  over  to  the  Hill,"  she  said,  lifting  a 
flushed  face  from  the  basket  at  her  feet. 
"An'  Jimmy  is  goin'  to  carry  it  over."  A 


JIMMY  383 

proud  smile  ran  up  to  her  eyes  that  she  turned 
on  the  big  awkward  boy. 

"That's  fine,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  Then 
without  more  ado,  she  gave  Miss  Parrott's 
invitation.  It  had  two  different  effects.  It 
sent  Mrs.  Skinner  down  on  a  pile  of  clothes 
waiting  in  a  chair  to  be  sorted  and  washed. 
She  raised  both  red  toil-worn  hands. 
"  Glory ! "  was  all  she  was  able  to  utter. 
Jimmy  stood  perfectly  still,  but  his  eyes  burned 
into  Mrs.  Pepper's  face. 

"And  now  be  at  the  little  brown  house  to- 
morrow, Jimmy,  by  eleven  o'clock,"  Mrs.  Pep- 
per made  speedy  work  of  it,  and  got  herself 
out  to  carry  the  joyful  news  home. 

Could  it  really  be  true  that  her  children  were 
to  see  a  circus  at  last,  or  was  she  dreaming? 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
THE  CIRCUS 

'1T7HEN  they  were  all  packed  in  to  the  big 
*  *  Parrott  coach,  ready  to  start  for  the  day 
at  Cherryville,  things  couldn't  have  been  better 
for  a  beginning.  There  was  Mrs.  Pepper  with 
Phronsie  on  her  lap,  then  Davie  next,  and  in 
the  corner,  Jimmy  fixed  up  in  the  jacket  his 
mother  had  worked  on  as  to  patches,  up  to  the 
last  moment. 

And  over  on  the  other  seat  were  Polly  and 
Joel  and  Ben  —  just  a  good  half-dozen  and 
one  of  Badgertown  folks  going  to  their  first 
circus. 

For  once  Joel  could  say  nothing.  The  won- 
derful expedition  had  stunned  him,  and  he  sat 
with  folded  hands,  and  eyes  big  with  sup- 
pressed excitement.  Ben  was  the  one  who  did 
the  talking,  and  he  bubbled  over  in  the  most 
unusual  fashion,  so  that  Polly  kept  bobbing 
384 


THE  CIRCUS  385 

her  smiles  and  delighted  appreciation  over 
Joel's  head,  at  intervals  all  through  the  ride. 
It  was  so  good  to  see  Ben  merry,  and  to  know 
that  he  was  going  to  have  a  good  time  for  once 
in  his  life. 

But  once  the  circus-ground  was  reached, 
Joel  found  his  tongue.  He  sprang  out  the 
first,  and  a  volley  of  questions  were  fired, 
sometimes  to  the  Peppers,  and  just  as  often  as 
not,  into  the  air.  It  made  no  difference,  for 
Joel  couldn't  wait  to  get  the  answers. 

Mother  Pepper  kept  her  brood  together,  and 
waited  while  Simmons  carried  out  the  instruc- 
tions of  Miss  Parrott,  and  bought  the  tickets, 
and  got  the  big  lunch  basket  down.  Then  he 
considered  his  duties  were  all  done,  until  after 
the  performance  he  should  pick  the  party  up 
for  the  return  trip. 

"  I'm  going  to  carry  the  things  to  eat,"  cried 
Joel,  tugging  at  the  big  basket  as  it  was  set  on 
the  ground. 

"  You  let  that  basket  alone,  Joe,"  com- 
manded Ben. 

Joel  dropped  the  handle  as  if  it  were  hot,  then 
he  whirled  around  to  make  a  bee-line  for  the 
string  of  red  carts  where  the  animals  had  been. 


386  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  See  here,"  Ben  gave  a  dash,  seized  him 
and  brought  him  back.  "  You  stay  here  with 
us." 

"  Now,  children,"  Mother  Pepper  smiled  on 
the  eager-eyed  group,  "there  are  two  things 
to  remember  —  we  must  all  keep  together,  and 
we  mustn't  crowd  nor  push  other  people." 

"  I'm  going  to  see  things,"  began  Joel. 

"  We  can  see  a  great  deal  more  if  we  don't 
push,"  said  Mamsie,  "and  we  can  enjoy  it 
better." 

"Ill  take  care  of  Joel,"  said  Ben,  his 
fingers  holding  the  small  calico  sleeve,  "  so  you 
won't  have  to  look  out  for  him,  Mamsie." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  Ben  to  take  care  of  me !  " 
Joel  howled  and  squirmed  to  get  free,  but  as 
Ben's  fingers  only  gripped  the  tighter,  it  wasn't 
much  use. 

"  Joel  is  going  to  be  a  good  boy,  I'm  sure," 
said  Mother  Pepper,  smiling  down  at  him. 

Joel  drew  himself  up.  "  I'm  going  to  be 
good,"  he  said  proudly. 

"Well,  in  the  first  place,  we  must  think 
what  we  will  do  with  the  lunch-basket,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper.  "  Ben  can't  carry  it  around 
until  it  is  time  to  eat." 


THE  CIRCUS  387 

"  Let's  eat  the  things  now,  Mamsie,"  begged 
Joel,  tearing  off  his  gaze  from  the  beautiful 
red  carts  and  other  entrancing  equipment  of 
the  show  scattered  over  the  big  field. 

"  Why,  Joel  Pepper !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  with 
a  little  laugh,  "  we  haven't  hardly  begun  the 
day.  The  idea  of  eating!" 

"  I  can  eat,"  said  Joel  in  an  injured  tone. 
"  I'm  awful  hungry." 

Just  then  up  came  Simmons.  He  even 
touched  his  hat  to  Mrs.  Pepper,  a  courtesy  he 
was  just  beginning  to  observe,  for  little-brown- 
house  people  didn't  at  all  appeal  to  him.  He 
scraped  his  throat,  "  Miss  Parrott  said  I  was 
to  take  care  of  the  lunch-basket."  He  was 
about  to  say,  "  I  forgot  to  tell  you,"  but  he 
couldn't  quite  make  up  his  mind  to  utter  such 
a  story,  although  he  had  planned  it  all  out, 
intending  to  keep  the  whole  day  to  himself 
without  the  bother  of  such  people  on  his  mind. 
Instead,  here  he  was  saying,  "  She  said  I  was 
to  bring  it  to  you  when  you  were  ready  for  it." 

So  there  was  that  trouble  settled.  And  the 
tickets  being  in  Mother  Pepper's  hand,  up  she 
went  with  all  her  brood  to  the  little  narrow 
walk  between  the  stakes  of  the  tent,  where  a 


388  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

big  man,  his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head,  sat 
in  a  chair. 

"  Seven,"  he  said,  taking  them  to  count,  and 
he  tore  off  the  numbers,  and  pushed  them  into 
her  hand,  "that's  right.  Step  in,  mar'm." 
And  into  the  tent  they  all  stepped,  Joel  and 
Ben  crowding  together,  for  the  small  calico 
sleeve  still  had  to  be  held,  of  course. 

The  grass  was  all  trodden  hard  beneath  their 
feet,  and  everything  seemed  to  smell  of  pea- 
nuts, that  boys  were  carrying  about  in  baskets, 
bawling  out  their  wares  —  people  eating  out 
of  the  bags  they  had  just  bought,  and  scattering 
the  shells  to  right  and  to  left. 

No  one  of  the  Peppers  said  a  word  about 
"  peanuts  "  and  they  all  tried  not  to  look  at 
the  baskets,  for  they  had  settled  that  matter 
when  they  knew  they  were  going  to  the  circus. 

Polly  began  it,  and  Ben  helped  her,  getting 
the  children  together  in  a  corner  of  the  kitchen, 
"  You  know  we  haven't  any  money  to  spend, 
and  it  will  make  Mamsie  feel  just  dreadfully 
if  we  look  as  if  we  wanted  things,"  so  they 
had  all  promised  they  wouldn't  look  at  the 
things.  But  now  it  was  pretty  hard  work  with 


THE  CIRCUS  389 

so  many  baskets,  and  boys  poking  them  in  their 
faces.  Didn't  the  peanuts  smell  good  though ! 
At  last  Joel  had  to  hold  his  little  stubby  nose 
tightly  with  his  fingers.  Then  he  suddenly 
dropped  them. 

"  I'm  going  upon  top/'  he  screamed,  as  sev- 
eral boys  dashed  by  scrambling  over  the  rows 
of  boards  that  encircled  the  big  ring,  and  he 
twitched  himself  free. 

"  No,  you  don't,"  said  Ben,  dashing  after, 
"  we've  got  to  sit  where  our  tickets  say." 

But  Joel  wildly  protested  that  he  was  going 
where  those  other  boys  were,  who  now  on  the 
tip  top  seat  were  laughing  and  jeering  people 
down  below,  and  acting  dreadfully. 

One  of  the  circus  men  passing  by,  said 
"  Jiminy !  I  wouldn't  want  to  hold  that  eel," 
to  Ben. 

Joel  turned  his  wild  gaze  down  to  the  man, 
"  I'm  not  an  eel,"  he  said,  and  his  black  eyes 
blazed. 

"  You  are,"  said  the  man,  looking  back  as 
he  hurried  off,  "  a  slippery,  squirmy  old  eel  and 
I've  a  good  mind  to  douse  you  into  the  fish- 
tank." 


390  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  He  sha'n't,"  roared  Joel,  and  he  beat  his 
small  fists  together,  "  and  I'm  going  after  him, 
and  smash  him." 

"  You'd  get  smashed  yourself,"  said  Ben. 
"  Now  aren't  you  ashamed,  Joel ;  everybody's 
looking  at  us.  Mamsie  will  have  to  take  us 
home  if  you  act  so." 

Joel's  fists  flew  apart,  and  he  glanced  quickly 
around.  "  There  isn't  anybody,"  he  began, 
but  an  old  woman  in  a  poke  bonnet  came  up. 
"Is  the  little  boy  sick?"  she  asked,  in  great 
concern. 

"  No,"  said  Ben,  "  I'm  afraid  he's  naughty." 

"  That's  very  bad,"  said  the  old  woman  se- 
verely and  shaking  her  poke  bonnet  at  him. 
"  I  sh'd  take  him  right  home  if  I  was  you. 
Folks  want  to  enjoy  a  circus  and  th'  animiles  in 
peace  without  having  boys  act  like  Kedar." 

"  I  think  he's  going  to  be  good,"  said  Ben. 
His  face  was  very  red,  and  he  would  have 
given  a  great  deal  to  have  the  old  woman  pass 
along.  Oh,  if  Mamsie  and  the  others  were  to 
come  up !  But  she  stayed.  "  I  d'now,"  she  said, 
"  I  don't  set  no  gret  by  boys.  You  never 
know  what  they're  up  to  unless  they're  sick. 
Sure  he  ain't?"  She  peered  at  Joel's  little 


THE  CIRCUS  391 

scowling  face,  and  drew  out  a  small  bottle 
from  a  black  silk  bag  dangling  on  her  arm. 
"  Now  two  or  three  drops  of  this/'  and  she 
pulled  out  the  cork. 

It  smelt  dreadfully  as  it  was  put  under  Joel's 
little  nose,  and  he  bobbed  his  head  back  and 
threw  up  his  arm.  Away  went  the  bottle  with 
the  black  stuff,  and  the  old  woman  with  the 
polk  bonnet  ran  after  it,  as  it  fell  on  the  saw- 
dust just  inside  the  rope  ring. 

"  Here,  keep  out  of  there ! "  roared  a  circus 
man,  tearing  along  up,  and  leaping  the  rope, 
he  seized  her  shawl. 

"  I'm  getting  my  bottle,"  she  said  angrily, 
"  that  boy  there,"  she  pointed  to  Joel,  "  threw 
it  over  here,  and  he's  spilt,  most  all  of  my 
med'cine."  She  held  it  up  to  the  light. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Ben,  hurrying  over,  "my 
brother  didn't  throw  it  —  it  was  an  accident." 

"  She  stuck  it  up  to  my  nose,"  said  Joel,  hur- 
rying up,  wrath  fully,  "  she  hadn't  any  business 
to.  She  is  a  bad  old  woman." 

"  Joel  —  Joel !  "  Ben's  face  was  scarlet. 
The  circus  man  took  the  bottle  and  gave  it  a 
good  smell. 

"Phew!"  he  said,  giving  it  back  hastily. 


392  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Well  I'd  V  throw'd  it  to  Halifax.  Now  get 
out  o'  here,"  he  helped  her  over  the  rope,  "  we 
don't  want  no  old  women  with  bottles  makin' 
trouble.  I've  a  good  mind  to  put  you  out." 
He  kept  hold  of  her  shawl. 

The  old  woman,  with  a  trembling  hand,  put 
the  cork  back  into  the  little  bottle.  She  began 
to  whimper.  "  Oh,  don't  do  that.  I've  never 
ben  to  a  circus,  an'  I've  saved  my  money  for 
ever  so  long.  Don't  put  me  out,  Mister." 

Joel  swallowed  hard;  then  he  plunged  over. 
"  You  mustn't  put  her  out.  I  sha'n't  let  you." 

"  Hello ! "  the  circus  man  looked  down  at 
the  small  figure,  then  he  whistled. 

"  No,  I  sha'n't,"  said  Joel,  tossing  his  head 
and  his  black  eyes  flashed.  "  She  thought  I 
was  sick." 

"That's  it,"  the  old  woman  mumbled,  "I 
thought  he  was  sick,  and — " 

"  And  I  didn't  want  medicine,"  Joel  hur- 
ried on,  "  and  it  smelt." 

"  I  sh'd  think  it  did,"  the  circus  man  rubbed 
his  nose.  "  Well,  that's  another  thing,  if  you 
want  her  to  stay.  But  I  thought  you  said  she 
was  bad." 


THE  CIRCUS  393 

Joel  hung  his  head,  and  the  hot  color  rushed 
all  over  his  little  face. 

"  She  didn't  mean  — "  he  began. 

"All  right/'  said  the  circus  man.  "You 
can  stay,  old  bottle  woman,"  he  turned  to  her. 
"  I've  got  something  more  to  do  than  to  hang 
around  here  to  straighten  out  a  fuss  when 
there  don't  seem  to  be  none." 

"  Mister,"  said  the  old  woman,  as  he  was 
slouching  off,  "  that  boy  didn't  'xactly  throw 
my  bottle,  not  'xactly — " 

He  laughed  and  snapped  his  fingers  at  her, 
and  now  he  was  gone  for  good. 

"Why,  there's  Mamsie  —  and  the  others," 
cried  Ben,  looking  off  to  a  middle  row  of  seats, 
where  Polly  was  standing  up  and  beckoning 
with  all  her  might.  "  Come,  they've  found 
our  places." 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  where  my  seat  is," 
said  the  old  woman  helplessly,  and  she  began 
to  fumble  in  her  black  silk  bag,  "  th'  man  give 
me  somethin'  an' — " 

Joel  was  dashing  off  to  the  others,  but  think- 
ing better  of  it,  turned  back.  "  I'll  find  it  for 
you,"  he  cried,  "  give  me  the  bag,"  and  not 


394  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

waiting  for  permission,  he  seized  it  and  getting 
down  on  his  knees,  he  emptied  it  of  all  its 
contents  on  the  grass. 

It  was  all  done  before  Ben  could  do  more 
than  cry,  "Joel!" 

The  old  woman  sank  down  on  her  knees 
beside  Joel,  as  he  pawed  among  the  collection 
of  articles  spread  on  the  grass.  Strange  to  say 
she  seemed  more  curious  to  see  if  he  would  find 
it  than  disturbed  at  the  way  her  bag  was 
emptied. 

"  Here  'tis! "  he  held  it  up  joyfully. 

"You're  a  real  good  boy,"  exclaimed  the 
old  woman  gratefully.  "  Now  I'll  put  the 
things  back." 

"  I'll  help,"  said  Joel,  falling  to  on  the  work. 
So  together  everything  was  all  snug  and  safe 
once  more  in  the  black  silk  bag,  and  the  old 
woman  hung  it  on  her  arm  again,  and  got  up 
to  her  feet. 

"  It's  No.  12,"  said  Joel,  squinting  at  the 
little  piece  of  pasteboard.  "  I'll  find  it  for 
you,"  and  he  pranced  along,  Ben  and  the  old 
woman  following,  his  black  eyes  eagerly  scan- 
ning the  seats.  "21 — 20,"  he  ran  on,  "  15 
—  14  —  why  —  it's  next  to  Mamsie !  " 


THE  CIRCUS  395 

Sure  enough.  They  helped  the  little  old 
woman,  her  poke  bonnet  settling  over  her  eyes 
on  the  ascent,  up  to  the  middle  row,  and  down 
she  sat  by  Mrs.  Pepper.  When  she  found 
who  it  was  in  the  next  seat,  she  leaned  forward 
and  said  in  a  loud  whisper,  "  Your  boy,  the 
littlest  one,  is  an  awful  good  boy.  He  helped 
me  consid'able."  She  had  not  then  learned 
that  there  was  a  third  Pepper  boy,  still  smaller. 

Mrs.  Pepper  beamed  on  her,  and  was  just 
saying,  "  I  am  so  glad,"  when  Joel,  on  her 
other  side,  burst  out,  "  Oh,  I  was  bad  —  her 
bottle  flew  off  —  and  it  smelt  bad,  and  I'm 
sorry." 

"  It  was  an  accident,"  said  Ben  hastily. 
And  the  old  woman,  when  she  saw  Mrs.  Pep- 
per's face,  hurried  to  say,  "  'Twarn't  much 
spilt,  an'  anyway  I've  got  enough  left,"  and 
just  then,  so  many  people  came  hurrying  in 
that  there  was  such  a  great  commotion  in  find- 
ing seats,  as  to  absorb  all  attention.  And  the 
first  thing  Joel  knew,  a  trembling  hand  was 
laid  across  Mrs.  Pepper's  lap.  "  There's  a 
dime,"  said  the  little  old  woman,  "  I  brought 
it  for  peanuts.  And  you  can  buy  some  for 
us  all." 


396  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Joel  hopped  to  his  feet,  his  eyes  sparkling. 

"  I'll  go  with  him,"  said  Ben. 

"  No,  no/'  roared  Joel,  clutching  the  dime. 
"  She  said  me  —  I'm  going  alone,"  and  he  be- 
gan to  wriggle  out  of  his  seat. 

Ben  looked  at  Mrs.  Pepper  in  dismay,  as  she 
said  quietly,  "  Yes,  you  may  go,  Joel,  by  your- 
self. I  can  trust  you." 

"  She  says  I  may,"  Joel  was  already  work- 
ing his  way  over  the  rows.  He  turned  to  send 
a  delighted  smile  back,  and  Mrs.  Pepper 
nodded.  "  I  can  trust  you,"  she  said  again. 

"  All  them  children  yours?  "  asked  the  little 
woman  presently,  craning  her  neck  to  see  the 
row  of  heads  the  other  side  of  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  All  but  one,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  and  he 
is  a  Badgertown  boy." 

"  My  sakes !  hain't  you  had  a  sight  o*  trouble 
though,  to  bring  up  such  a  lot  o'  young  ones." 

Mother  Pepper  turned  clear  around  in  her 
seat.  "  Trouble?  "  she  repeated,  and  her  black 
eyes  shone,  "  why  I  never  should  think  of  such 
a  thing !  Why,  they  are  my  children" 

"  Yes,  that's  jest  what  I  say  —  and  such  a 
lot  o'  them,"  affirmed  the  little  old  woman, 
bobbing  her  poke  bonnet  with  emphasis,  as  Joel 


THE  CIRCUS  397 

came  rushing  back  swinging  a  big  bag  of  pea- 
nuts. 

"  You  see  I  thought  I'd  get  peanuts. 
There's  a  sight  o'  nourishment  in  chewin'  of 
'em,"  she  said,  taking  the  bag,  "  so  I  didn't 
bring  nothin'  to  eat."  She  emptied  out  a  small 
handful  into  her  lap.  "  There,  boy,"  and  she 
handed  the  bag  back  to  Joel,  "you  an*  your 
folks  can  have  th'  rest,  an'  we  can  sit  an'  chew 
on  'em  together." 

"And  we  have  a  great  deal  of  luncheon," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "and  it  will  be  very  nice 
to  have  you  eat  with  us." 

And  just  then  the  band  marched  in,  smart  in 
bright  red  coats  and  gilt  helmets  —  with  a 
blare  of  trumpets,  to  announce  the  approach 
of  the  grand  procession. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS 

"T  HAIN'T  never  ben  to  a  circus/'  said 
the  little  old  woman,  after  the  splen- 
dor of  the  grand  procession  had  swept  around 
the  ring,  and  she  caught  her  breath. 

"  We  have  never  been  to  one,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper,  looking  down  the  length  of  her  row 
of  absorbed  faces. 

"  Is  that  so  ?  Why,  I  thought  everybody  had 
had  a  chance  at  one,  'xcept  me  —  An'  I  says, 
'  Now,  next  time  it  conies  to  Cherryville,  I'll 
go/  I'd  ben  a-savin'  up  for  it,  for  circuses 
don't  wait  for  folks  to  turn  back  an'  grow 
young.  Look  at  them  ponies  —  did  you  ever 
see  sech  mites !  " 

She  leaned  forward,  her  withered  face  sud- 
denly looking  as  if  she  had  indeed  "  turned 
back  to  grow  young." 

"  You're  pokin'  me  in  the  back  somethin' 
dreadful,"  said  a  woman  in  front,  with  an  in- 
398 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      399 

dignant  face  over  her  shoulder.  The  head 
was  surmounted  with  a  hat  topped  off  with  a 
big  pink  bow  wound  around  a  higher  bunch 
of  yellow  roses. 

"I  s'pose  so,"  said  the  little  old  woman, 
"but  I  have  to  poke,  to  get  the  best  of  that 
contraption  on  your  head  —  I've  got  to  see ; 
that's  what  I  come  for.'* 

The  woman  with  the  hat  flounced  back  and 
threw  her  head  up  higher  yet. 

"  I  guess  I'll  have  to  stand  up,"  said  the 
little  old  woman,  tired  of  twisting  first  one 
side  and  then  the  other. 

Mrs.  Pepper,  her  mind  down  the  line  where 
Phronsie  in  absorbed  delight  over  the  ponies, 
was  sitting  between  Polly  and  David,  had  no 
eyes  for  her  neighbor's  distress.  Now  she 
laid  her  hand  on  the  rusty  black  shawl.  "  I'm 
so  much  taller,"  she  said,  and  before  anybody 
quite  knew  it,  the  little  old  woman  was  in  the 
seat  next  to  Joel,  and  Mother  Pepper's  black 
eyes  were  gazing  over  the  "  contraption  "  of  a 
hat. 

And,  then,  after  the  ponies,  came  the  ele- 
phants —  the  big  one  and  the  little  one. 
Phronsie  shivered  when  the  old  one  marched 


400  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ponderously  into  the  ring,  and  threw  herself 
over  into  Polly's  lap. 

"  He  won't  hurt  you,"  whispered  Polly,  her 
arms  about  her. 

"  And  he  isn't  half  as  bad  as  Polly's  rhodo- 
dendron," said  Ben,  leaning  forward  to  talk 
across. 

Polly  turned  a  cold  shoulder  to  Ben.  "  See 
the  little  elephant,  Phronsie  —  see  him !  " 

"  Is  there  a  little  one?"  said  Phronsie,  un- 
covering one  blue  eye  fearfully. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Polly,  "  and  he's  such 
a  dear  little  elephant,  Phronsie.  Do  look ! " 

"He's  a  dear  little  el'phunt,"  cooed 
Phronsie,  bringing  both  eyes  into  view.  But 
she  sighed  after  the  ponies,  now  careering  on 
the  other  side  of  the  big  ring,  drawing  the 
little  chariot  gay  with  ribbons  and  flags,  and 
a  small  boy  and  a  smaller  girl  riding  in  state. 

"  I  wish  they'd  come  again,"  she  said,  pull- 
ing Polly's  head  down  to  whisper  in  her  ear. 

"  Perhaps  they  will,"  said  Polly  encourag- 
ingly, "  and  if  they  don't,  there'll  be  some- 
thing else  just  as  splendid." 

Phronsie  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap  and 
sat  quite  still.  Could  anything  be  as  splendid 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS     401 

as  those  sweet  little  ponies?  And  she  sighed 
again.  But  Polly  had  said  so,  and  it  must 
be  true. 

Meantime  David,  who  had  scarcely  dared 
to  breathe  through  the  whole  show,  screamed 
right  out. 

Everybody  turned  and  stared,  and  a  nervous 
woman  down  in  the  front  said,  "  Gracious ! 
somebody's  sick  —  get  th'  doctor."  And  one 
of  the  funny  men  in  a  white  coat  with  red 
spots  all  over  it,  and  a  hat  with  holes  where 
his  eyes  came,  looked  up  as  he  was  walking 
down  beneath  the  seats  saying  things  to  make 
people  laugh. 

"  Toss  me  that  boy,"  he  roared,  snapping 
a  little  whip  he  carried  under  his  arm,  "and 
I'll  eat  him  up." 

And  at  that,  Joel  screamed,  "  You  sha'n't 
eat  my  brother  —  I'll  smash  you ! "  And 
everything  was  in  a  commotion.  And  a  man 
in  a  red  coat,  with  a  good  many  brass  buttons 
on  it,  rushed  up  and  said :  "  You're  disturbing 
the  show  —  I'll  put  you  out  if  you  make  any 
more  trouble." 

And  Mrs.  Pepper  leaned  over  past  the  little 
old  woman.  Polly  caught  one  glimpse  of 


402  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Mamsie's  distressed  face,  and  she  swept 
Phronsie  over  into  Ben's  lap. 

"Oh,  Da  vie  —  what  is  it?"  she  cried, 
huddling  him  up  against  her,  as  he  buried  his 
face  in  her  neck. 

"The  bears!  Joel  has  always  wanted  to 
see  some  —  they're  coming !  " 

Joel,  with  no  heart  for  bears  or  anything 
else,  was  still  shaking  his  little  brown  fists  and 
declaring  that  he  wouldn't  let  any  one  eat  up 
his  brother,  while  Big  Bruin  and  Mrs.  Bruin 
and  two  small  Bruins  were  doing  their  best 
down  in  the  ring  to  make  the  parade  lively. 

"  Oh,  Davie !  "  cried  Polly,  so  mortified  that 
she  forgot  herself,  "you  shouldn't  have 
screamed.  We're  so  ashamed ! "  While 
Mother  Pepper  said,  quietly,  "  Joel,"  and  down 
went  his  little  fists,  and  he  stopped  right  in  the 
middle  of  a  word. 

David  was  so  still  that  Polly  bent  her  hot 
cheek  over  him.  "Why,  Davie,  are  you 
sick?"  she  cried  in  sudden  fright. 

Davie  tried  to  say  "  No,"  but  the  word 
wouldn't  come.  And  before  he  had  time  to 
begin  again,  Mrs.  Pepper  had  quietly  worked 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      403 

her  way  past  the  little  old  woman  and  Joel, 
and  there  he  was  in  her  lap. 

"There,  it's  all  right,  Davie,"  she  said, 
"  Mother  knows  all  about  it." 

"  I've  made  —  I've  made  —  you  all  — 
ashamed,"  said  Davie  in  little  shivery  gasps, 
throwing  his  arms  around  her  neck. 

"  You  will  make  us  very  much  ashamed," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  unless  you  sit  up  now, 
and  be  Mother's  good  boy." 

"  Will  I  ?  "  David  raised  a  little  face  that 
was  quite  white.  The  soft  waves  of  light  hair 
tumbled  over  his  forehead. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  Mother  Pepper  brushed 
them  back  soothingly. 

"  I  will  be  your  good  boy,  Mamsie,"  said 
David,  sitting  up  in  her  lap,  his  miserable  little 
face  brightening  a  bit. 

"  He  better  take  some  o'  this  med'cine." 
The  little  old  woman  tried  to  pass  the  small 
bottle  she  picked  out  of  her  black  silk  bag.  "  I 
always  carry  it  everywhere's  I  go,  ef  I  sh'd  be 
sick." 

But  Mrs.  Pepper  shook  her  head.  And  Joel 
being  now  absorbed  in  the  bears  that  some- 


404  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

how  were  determined  not  to  march  with  the 
others,  but  to  get  up  a  show  all  by  themselves, 
till  the  trainer  with  his  little  whip  had  to  get 
them  into  line,  everything  became  quiet  once 
more. 

Well,  after  the  grand  parade,  there  was  the 
big  show  when  the  animals  did  the  most  sur- 
prising things,  and  the  men  and  the  women 
in  spangles  and  satin  and  velvet  jumped  from 
horses  going  at  top  speed  —  or  through  hoops, 
or  swung  in  the  air  like  big  birds. 

And  then  there  was  a  great  to-do,  every- 
body clambering  down  from  the  seats  —  all 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  tent  at  once. 

In  and  out  of  the  crowd  Miss  Parrott's 
coachman  worked  his  way,  with  the  big  lunch- 
basket. 

"  I  thought  you  would  like  to  have  it  now," 
he  said.  And  he  didn't  forget  to  touch  his 
hat  to  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  I  think  it  is  time,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  for 
I  believe  everybody  is  hungry,"  with  a  smile 
that  included  the  little  old  woman  next  to  Joel. 

"  I'll  show  you  a  place  where  you  can  sit 
and  eat,  and  not  have  many  people  around," 
said  Simmons,  going  off  with  the  big  basket, 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      405 

and  all  the  Peppers  hurried  down  from  their 
seats  to  follow.  But  not  before  Mrs.  Pepper 
took  hold  of  Joel's  little  calico  sleeve.  "  Help 
her  down,  Joey,"  she  said,  nodding  her  head 
toward  the  little  old  woman. 

"  I  want  to  go  with  Dave/'  grumbled  Joel. 

"  Help  her  down,  Joel,"  said  Mother  Pepper 
distinctly. 

"  And  I'll  help  her,  too,"  cried  Davie,  turn- 
ing back. 

"  So  you  shall,"  Mrs.  Pepper  beamed  at 
him,  so  that  he  forgot  for  the  first  time  how 
he  had  made  them  all  ashamed. 

And  Joel  on  one  side  and  Davie  on  the 
other,  made  the  little  old  woman  say  when  she 
was  safely  down  from  her  seat  on  the  middle 
row,  "  My  sakes,  I  never  had  no  gret  likin'  for 
boys  before.  What's  your  name,  anyhow?  " 

Joel,  who  was  frantic  to  hurry  along,  as  the 
others  and  Miss  Parrott's  coachman  were  well 
ahead,  had  no  time  to  answer  questions.  So 
Davie  said,  "  He's  Joel  Pepper,  and  I  — " 

"  Pepper?  What  a  name!  "  interrupted  the 
little  old  woman  with  a  snort. 

Davie's  face  got  very  red. 

Luckily  Joel  didn't  hear;  all  his  mind  was 


406  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

bent  on  getting  along  faster  as  he  beat  his 
hands  together  aching  to  pull  the  little  old 
woman  on  by  her  rusty  shawl.  ;,  ; 

"  Joel  is  a  good-enough  name,"  said  the  lit- 
tle old  woman.  "  My  husband's  father  was 
Joel,  but  Pepper  is  a  perfectly  dreadful  name." 

"  Pepper  is  just  a  perfectly  splendid  name!  " 
David  stopped  short  by  her  side,  and  looked 
at  hef  out  of  flashing  blue  eyes. 

"  My  sakes  alive ! "  exclaimed  the  little  old 
woman,  stopping  aghast,  "  I  sh'd  as  soon 
'xpect  a  hummin'  bird  to  dare  me,  as  you. 
Now  ef  it  had  V  ben  him,"  she  shook  her  black 
silk  bag  at  Joel,  who  was  marching  on.  Joel 
looked  back  and  screamed,  "  Come  on !  "  which 
they  did,  redoubling  their  speed. 

"  Now,  my  name  is  a  sensible  one,"  said  the 
little  old  woman,  "  Jones.  But  Pepper  —  I 
sh'd  as  soon  think  of  salt  and  mustard." 

David,  finding  it  harder  and  harder  to  escort 
a  person  determined  to  find  fault  with  his 
name,  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  himself  from 
deserting  altogether.  But  knowing  that  Mam- 
sie  would  feel  badly  if  he  did,  and  remember- 
ing how  he  had  made  them  all  ashamed,  he 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      407 

marched  on,  by  her  side;  but  his  head  was 
tossed  up,  and  his  cheeks  were  very  red. 

But  in  the  excitement  of  getting  into  the 
corner  of  the  field  around  the  big  lunch-basket 
that  Simmons  put  in  their  midst,  no  one 
noticed  him  but  Mother  Pepper. 

"  Tell  Mother,"  whispered  Mrs.  Pepper, 
under  cover  of  getting  the  good  things  un- 
packed. 

"  Mamsie,"  said  David  desperately,  "  that 
lady  is  a  bad  old  lady.  Don't  make  me  sit 
next  to  her,"  he  begged. 

"  Why,  Davie  boy ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pep- 
per in  surprise.  "  I  think  she  is  quite  a  nice 
little  woman." 

"  Oh,  no,"  Davie  shook  his  head.  "  She's 
been  saying  awful  things.  She  doesn't  like 
us  to  be  called  Pepper." 

Mrs.  Pepper  burst  into  a  cheery  laugh. 
"  Well,  that's  not  being  bad,"  she  said. 
"  Now  perhaps  I  shouldn't  like  her  name,  if 
I  knew  what  it  was." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Davie,  "  she  told  me  — 
it's  Jones." 

"  Well,  I  don't  like  it.     I  never  did  like  it," 


408  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  so  you  see,  Davie,  it  isn't 
so  much  matter  if  people's  names  don't  suit 
other  folks.  But  the  people  themselves  have 
got  to  be  just  right.  Now  run  along  and  be 
nice  to  her.  She  is  poor  and  old.  Remem- 
ber that,  Davie  boy." 

There  was  everything  in  that  fine  big 
lunch-basket.  First  came  a  table-cloth  and 
napkins  as  fresh  and  sweet  as  if  they  had  been 
packed  away  in  lavender,  as  indeed  was  the 
case.  Then  seven  little  cups  —  and  a  big  jar 
of  lemonade,  piles  of  bread  and  butter  and 
cold  chicken,  cake,  and  biscuits.  Was  ever 
such  a  feast  spread  out  for  hungry  people  at 
a  circus! 

Jimmy,  who  hadn't  said  a  word  all  through 
the  show,  but  had  absorbed  it  with  all  his  eyes 
and  ears,  now  hung  back  from  the  group  and 
leaned  up  against  the  wall  of  a  shed  a  little 
distance  away.  He  was  watching  the  merry 
party  with  longing. 

Ben,  helping  Polly  to  spread  the  table-cloth 
on  the  grass,  looked  off  and  saw  him. 

"  Give  us  a  hand,  Jimmy,"  he  said. 

Jimmy  started,  then  stopped,  hanging  back. 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      409 

"  Come  on,"  said  Polly,  "  and  take  hold  of 
this  other  corner,  please." 

So  there  Jimmy  was,  and  the  table-cloth 
being  spread,  the  articles  from  the  basket  were 
soon  in  place,  everybody  being  handy  at  get- 
ting them  out,  Joel  and  David  especially  so, 
while  Phronsie  got  in  between,  laughing  and 
crowing  happily  under  the  impression  that  she 
was  helping  very  much. 

"  I  think  I  will  visit  with  you,"  said  Mother 
Pepper,  sitting  down  on  the  grass  next  to  the 
little  old  woman.  There  was  a  happy  look  in 
her  black  eyes,  and  a  soft  color  began  to  come 
on  her  cheek,  "  and  let  the  children  take  care 
of  things." 

The  little  old  woman  raised  her  withered 
face  and  regarded  her  curiously.  "  You  ain't 
a  bit  of  a  fussbudget,"  she  said. 

"No?"  replied  Mother  Pepper.  Then  she 
laughed  and  said,  "Why  should  I  be?" 

"  La !  you  shouldn't  be.  But  a  woman 
who's  got  a  raft  o'  young  ones  most  generally 


is." 


"  They  are  my  children"  said  Mrs.  Pepper 
softly,  and  her  happy  eyes  roved  over  the  little 


410  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

bunch  of  Peppers.  Bursts  of  laughter  came 
from  the  group,  in  which  Jimmy's  voice  could 
now  and  then  be  heard. 

"  Who's  that  boy  ?  "  abruptly  demanded  the 
little  old  woman. 

"  That's  Jimmy  Skinner,  a  Badgertown 
boy/'  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 

"Oh,  then  he  ain't  a  Pepper?" 

"  No.  Well,  children,"  Mrs.  Pepper  got  up 
to  her  feet,  "you  are  all  ready  now,  aren't 
you?  We  better  begin,  for  we  want  as  much 
time  as  we  can  spare  to  see  the  animals,  you 
know." 

At  mention  of  the  "  animals "  there  was 
great  excitement,  Joel  beating  his  hands  to- 
gether and  shouting,  "  Let's  begin  —  let's 
begin!" 

"  Oh,  Mamsie,  please  sit  here,"  cried  Polly, 
patting  one  end  of  the  table-cloth,  "  and 
Mrs.—" 

"  Jones,"  said  Davie,  coming  to  the  rescue, 
"  that's  Mrs.  Jones,"  and  he  held  out  a  hand 
to  help  the  little  old  woman  up  from  the  grass. 

"  Jones  I  am  —  but  I  ain't  no  Missis,"  said 
the  little  old  woman,  getting  up  stiffly  to  her 
feet.  "  My !  but  I  feel  like  a  wooden- jointed 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      411 

doll !  I'm  Susannah  Jones  —  that's  th'  handle 
to  my  name.  Well,  where'll  I  set?  " 

"  Right  next  to  Mamsie,"  said  Polly. 

Miss  Susannah  Jones  let  her  pale  eyes  rove 
all  around  the  circle.  "What?"  she  said  in 
a  puzzled  way.  "  Where?  " 

"  Why,  here,"  said  Polly,  with  a  little  laugh, 
and  leading  her  to  Mrs.  Pepper.  "  This  is 
Mamsie,"  and  she  laughed  again. 

Miss  Susannah  opened  her  thin  lips.  She 
was  just  about  to  say,  "  Well,  of  all  the  queer 
names,  that  is !  "  when,  glancing  at  Davie's  face, 
she  thought  better  of  it.  And  besides  it  was 
no  worse  than  Pepper.  So  she  sat  down  and 
the  feast  began. 

Mrs.  Pepper,  glancing  across  the  table-cloth 
at  Jimmy,  saw  something  that  made  her  say, 
"  Come  here  a  minute,"  and  as  he  shuffled 
around  to  her  side,  she  whispered  to  him, 
"  What  is  it  that  makes  you  afraid  to  save  your 
cake?" 

Jimmy's  freckled  face  got  very  red.  He 
scrubbed  his  rusty  shoes  back  and  forth  in  the 
grass.  Then  he  said,  "  I  didn't  want  you  folks 
to  see." 

"  You  want  to  give  it  to  somebody  ?  " 


412  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Jimmy  nodded  his  tow  head,  glad  enough 
that  he  didn't  have  to  speak  any  more. 

"  You  may,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  kindly,  "  do 
just  as  you  like  with  it." 

"May  I?" 

"  Indeed  you  may,"  declared  Mother  Pep- 
per. "  So  don't  hide  your  cake  under  the 
table-cloth  —  but  keep  it  on  your  plate,  and 
you  shall  have  a  paper  to  do  it  up  in  when  we 
all  get  through." 

"  I  don't  want  no  paper,"  said  Jimmy 
bluntly. 

"Oh,  Jimmy,  you  can't  carry  it  home  in 
your  hand." 

"  I  ain't  going  to  carry  it  home  —  and  the 
boy  won't  mind." 

"The  boy?"  Mrs.  Pepper  looked  very 
puzzled. 

"  There's  a  boy  over  there,"  Jimmy  pointed 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  big  red  cart  standing 
in  the  field,  "  and  he  keeps  looking  and  look- 
ing at  us  —  and  I  guess  he's  hungry." 

Mrs.  Pepper  turned  a  swift  eye  in  that  direc- 
tion. "  Jimmy,"  she  said,  "  I  think  you  are 
right.  Wouldn't  you  like  to  carry  your  cake 
to  him  now?  " 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS     413 

"  Wouldn't  I  just !  "  exclaimed  Jimmy,  find- 
ing a  ready  tongue,  and  springing  off  on  just 
as  ready  feet. 

"  Oh !  "  screamed  Joel,  "  look  at  Jimmy  — - 
running  off  with  his  cake !  See,  Mamsie,  Jim- 
my is  — " 

"Joel!"  Mother  Pepper  didn't  need  to  say 
more,  as  everybody  whirled  around  to  see  the 
Badgertown  boy  skim  over  the  grass  clutching 
his  slices  of  cake  that  he  had  been  tucking 
under  the  table-cloth. 

Joel  ducked,  and  everybody  else  was  quiet 
except  Miss  Susannah. 

"  That  Badgertown  boy  is  jest  as  bad  as  th' 
rest  o'  you,"  she  said,  between  the  bites  on  her 
own  piece  of  cake,  as  Jimmy  slipped  back  and 
into  his  seat,  but  not  to  eat  any  cake. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  when 
everything  was  cleaned  up  neatly,  and  the  big 
basket  had  been  handed  to  Simmons,  who  ap- 
peared at  the  right  time,  "  we'll  start  to  see  the 
animals." 

Joel  screamed,  "The  bears  —  the  bears! 
Oh,  let's  see  the  bears  first." 

"  We  will  take  them  all  in  order,  Joey.     If 


414  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

the  bears  are  at  the  beginning  of  the  line,  why 
we  will  see  them  first." 

"  The  monkeys,"  cried  Phronsie,  pulling  at 
her  mother's  hand.  "  Oh,  I  want  to  see  the 
dear  sweet  little  monkeys,  Mamsie !  " 

"  We  are  going  to  see  the  monkeys, 
Phronsie,  and  all  the  rest  of  them,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper  in  a  happy  voice. 

Polly  couldn't  help  jumping  up  and  down 
and  clapping  her  hands  in  joy,  her  two  brown 
braids  flying  out. 

"  I  think  we  ought  to  visit  your  rhododen- 
dron, Polly/'  said  Ben,  catching  hold  of  her 
to  stop  her  and  say  it  over  her  shoulder.  But 
Polly  pretending  not  to  hear,  the  words  were 
lost  in  the  babel  of  delight  that  ensued.  And 
Mrs.  Pepper  was  asking  the  little  old  woman 
if  she  would  like  to  go  with  them  to  see  the 
animals. 

"  Indeed  I  would,"  cried  Miss  Susannah. 
"  My !  I  was  wonderin'  how  in  th'  world  I'd 
ever  get  around  amongst  those  animiles  an' 
reptiles.  Say,  do  you  Peppers  family  always 
go  about  th'  world  lookin'  out  for  other 
folks?" 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      415 

"  We  don't  go  about  the  world,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper,  with  a  little  laugh.  "  Well,  now,  we 
must  start." 

As  it  happened  the  bears  were  first  in  the 
line,  so  Joel  had  his  wish,  and  he  crowded  up 
plastering  his  face  close  to  their  cage,  in  which 
the  beasts  had  been  put  on  their  return  from 
the  parade  in  the  ring. 

"  That  boy  will  get  his  nose  clawed  off," 
said  a  man  in  the  crowd.  Mrs.  Pepper 
turned,  "  Joel! "  she  cried,  just  in  time !  Out 
came  old  Father  Bear's  paw  with  its  five  cruel 
claws  as  sharp  as  knives, —  and  a  sudden 
scratch  went  sizz  on  the  iron  bars  just  where 
Joel's  face  had  been. 

"  He  didn't  get  me,"  said  Joel  vindictively, 
staring  into  the  wicked  little  eyes  of  the  bear 
snapping  angrily  at  him. 

"  Now  look  here,  Joe,"  Ben  broke  through 
the  crowd  to  him,  "  you'll  keep  away  from  the 
cages,  or  I'll  hold  you  every  single  minute." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  be  held,"  howled  Joel, 
squirming  to  get  free,  "  don't  hold  me,  Ben ;  I'll 
be  good." 

"  I  shall  hold  you,"  said  Ben  firmly,  "  unless 
you'll  promise  not  to  touch  the  cages.  Aren't 


416  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

you  ashamed,  Joel  ?  "  he  said  in  a  lower  voice. 
"  Everybody  is  looking  at  you." 

"  I  want  to  see  the  bears,"  roared  Joel.  All 
the  world  might  be  looking  at  him.  He  was 
in  such  an  anguish  that  he  didn't  care.  He 
must  see  the  bears ! 

"  Well,  promise,"  said  Ben,  "  and  I'll  let  you 

go." 

"  I  can't  see  'em,"  fretted  Joel,  "  unless  I 
go  close." 

"  Yes,  you  can ;  nobody  else  touches  the 
cages." 

Joel  swept  the  crowd  with  his  black  eyes, 
disdainfully. 

"  Just  look  at  Mamsie,"  Ben  leaned  over 
and  whispered  this  into  Joel's  ear.  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, holding  Phronsie's  hand,  was  looking  at 
him.  Her  face  was  white,  but  she  smiled. 

"  I  won't  go  near  those  bears,"  said  Joel. 
"  O  dear !  "  He  tried  not  to  cry,  but  it  was  no 
use.  The  tears  dripped  down  through  the 
fingers  clapped  up  to  his  face,  and  trailed  all 
down  his  calico  blouse. 

"  Now  that's  all  nonsense,  Joe,"  said  Ben, 
releasing  his  hold.  "  You  can  go  just  as  near 
as  I  do,  and  all  the  other  folks.  I'll  trust 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS      417 

you,"  and  Ben  slipped  away  to  prove  his 
words. 

Joel  felt  somebody  tugging  at  one  of  the 
hands  over  his  wet  little  face.  "  There's  a 
good  place  over  there,"  said  Davie,  pointing 
to  a  little  space  where  two  men  who  hadn't 
been  able  to  forget  that  they  had  once  been 
boys,  were  holding  it  open  for  him.  They 
spread  it  out  a  little  further  so  that  Davie 
could  slip  in,  too. 

It  was  some  time  before  Joel  was  willing 
to  leave  the  bears.  Father  Bear,  who  couldn't 
forgive  the  boy  who  made  him  miss  such  a 
well-aimed  scratch,  kept  pacing  up  and  down, 
growling  and  showing  his  teeth  at  him  —  and 
altogether  being  so  very  fascinating,  that  a 
crowd  was  continually  in  front  of  the  cage, 
staring  with  open  mouths  and  eyes.  At  last 
Mrs.  Pepper  gave  the  word  to  move  on. 

They  had  the  big  snakes,  and  a  lion  who 
was  old  and  tired  out,  and  half  asleep  in  the 
corner  of  his  cage,  so  that  he  wasn't  at  all  in- 
teresting, and  almost  everything  else  in  the  ani- 
mal line  that  the  circus  had  afforded,  before 
they  came  to  the  monkeys.  Phronsie  saw  them 
first. 


4i8  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  There  they  are,  Mamsie!  "  she  gave  a  joy- 
ful little  cry. 

Mrs.  Pepper  hurried  to  keep  up  with  her, 
and  the  others  followed  in  close  ranks,  being 
kept  in  line  by  Ben,  who  brought  up  the  rear. 

A  small  boy  who  was  just  as  anxious  to  see 
monkeys  as  Phronsie,  rushed  in  between, 
knocking  off  the  pink  sunbonnet.  It  had  been 
so  hot  in  the  crowd  that  Phronsie  had  untied 
it,  and  now  away  it  went,  and  a  big  clumsy 
man  set  his  foot  right  on  it.  Jimmy  saw  it 
and  tried  to  rescue  it,  pulling  at  one  string; 
but  the  people  pushed  about  so  that  he  was 
knocked  down  and  the  string  came  off  in  his 
hand.  Then  the  big  clumsy  man  saw  what  he 
was  stepping  on,  and  he  got  off. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  sorry,"  Jimmy's  face  was  full 
of  distress,  as  somebody  picked  up  the  poor 
little  sunbonnet,  and  he  held  out  the  string. 

"  It  couldn't  be  helped,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper, 
only  glad  that  Phronsie  was  so  absorbed  in 
delight  over  the  monkeys  that  she  wouldn't 
know  that  she  had  lost  her  sunbonnet. 

And  the  monkeys  seemed  to  think  that  some- 
thing special  was  expected  of  them,  for  they 
at  once  set  to  on  so  many  antics  that  there  was 


MORE  ABOUT  THE  CIRCUS     419 

nothing  but  crowding  and  pushing  as  every- 
body came  up  to  see,  and  stopped  to  laugh. 
At  last  a  great  hulking  boy  came  up  suddenly, 
back  of  David  and  pushed  him  against  the  cage. 

This  was  apparently  just  what  one  of  the 
monkeys  had  been  watching  for.  He  swung 
himself  down  from  his  perch,  reached  out  a 
long  arm,  and  grabbed  off  David's  little  cap. 
Then  up  he  leaped  back  again,  squatted  down 
to  bite  and  tear  it  to  his  heart's  content. 

David  clapped  his  hands  to  his  head,  and 
turned  very  white,  as  a  cry  went  up  from  the 
crowd. 

"  Oh,  that's  too  bad !  "  "  He's  got  the  little 
feller's  cap/'  "Oh,  what  a  shame!"  And 
one  mother  elbowed  her  way  in  through  the 
crowd  to  Mrs.  Pepper,  who  had  her  arms 
around  her  boy  trying  to  comfort  him.  And 
she  herself  needed  sympathy,  for  how  could 
she  scrape  together  the  money  for  another 
cap ?  "I  know  who  the  boy  is  that  pushed 
him,  and  I'll  tell  his  father  —  he'll  give  him 
a  good  beating." 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  don't  do  that. 
Davie  doesn't  want  you  to.  Do  you,  Davie 
dear?" 


420  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Davie,  through  his  sobs. 
Then  when  he  saw  his  mother's  face,  he  wiped 
away  the  tears  and  managed  to  smile  through 
them.  "  I  can  go  without  a  cap,"  he  said. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
DAVID'S  CAP 

IV/TRS.  PEPPER  turned  away   for  a  mo- 
•*•  ment,  not  trusting  herself  to  speak. 

"  I  don't  mind  it  —  much,"  Davie  pulled  at 
her  shawl,  and  looked  anxiously  at  her  face 
as  she  turned  back. 

"  Well,  now,"  she  said  comfortingly,  as  she 
led  him  out  of  the  crowd.  "  Mother  will  see 
how  she  can  fix  it  up  for  you,  Davie  boy." 

"  The  monkey's  spitting  out  the  pieces  of 
your  cap,"  cried  some  boys  after  him,  and  they 
laughed  and  doubled  up  in  glee. 

"  Shame  on  you  for  laughing,"  cried  the 
woman  who  wanted  to  tell  the  boy's  father. 
But  it  was  no  use  to  stop  the  crowd  —  they 
cheered  and  guffawed  as  they  pressed  up  closer 
to  the  cage,  where  the  monkey  on  his  high 
perch  was  biting  out  pieces  of  David's  little 
cap,  and  throwing  them  off  toward  the  bars, 
grinning  dreadfully  between  each  bite. 
421 


422  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

Joel  rushed  up  to  see  the  fun.  He  had 
stayed  as  long  as  he  could  at  the  cage  of  big 
snakes,  Ben  finally  hauling  him  away,  and  now, 
with  Polly  and  Jimmy,  they  hurried  up  to  join 
Mrs.  Pepper  and  Phronsie. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Joel,  thrusting  in  his 
hot  little  face  wherever  he  saw  a  crack  of  space 
to  get  it  in.  "  Oh,  what  is  it  he's  got?  " 

"  A  boy's  cap  bein'  et  up,"  said  a  man,  stop- 
ping his  laugh  long  enough  to  shoot  this  out. 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  see !  "  By  a  way  Joel  best 
knew  would  secure  a  good  place,  he  was  pretty 
soon  worked  in,  till  there  he  was  in  the  front 
row  with  the  other  boys  still  screaming  with 
the  fun  of  the  thing. 

There  the  monkey  sat  on  a  high  perch,  biting 
very  slowly  now  in  order  to  make  the  cap  last 
as  long  as  possible.  His  little  eyes  were 
twinkling,  and  his  paws  were  kept  busy  to 
hold  the  cap,  and  fight  off  the  other  monkeys, 
who  now  swarmed  and  chattered  around  him, 
in  order  to  seize  the  beautiful  thing  that  was 
making  the  people  so  noisy  with  delight. 

"What  is  it  he's  got?"  cried  Joel,  wrin- 
kling up  his  face  trying  to  see  the  wad  in  the 
monkey's  paw. 


DAVID'S  CAP  423 

"  A  boy's  cap  —  he  twitched  it  off  his  head. 
Oh,  Jiminy  —  see !  " 

The  monkey,  fearing  that  the  other  monkeys 
might  be  too  many  for  him  to  hold  his  prize, 
took  a  last  big  bite  from  it,  spit  out  the  pieces, 
and  threw  them  derisively  right  at  the  bars, 
and  into  Joel's  face  pressed  against  them. 
One  piece  fell  out  at  his  feet;  it  said  " — vid 
Pepper  "  just  where  Mamsie  had  marked  it  on 
the  rim  of  the  cap. 

Joel's  brown  hand  closed  convulsively  over 
it,  and  he  looked  wildly  around.  Then  he  put 
down  his  head,  and  bolted  right  through  the 
middle  of  the  crowd. 

"Mercy  sakes!"  the  woman  screamed, — 
the  boys  who  had  laughed  skipped  nimbly  out 
of  the  way, —  and  nobody  thought  the  case 
quite  so  funny  as  it  had  been. 

"  Mamsie,  where  are  you  ?  "  screamed  Joel. 
He  almost  threw  Polly  over,  for  he  was  be- 
yond seeing  anything  or  anybody  in  his  mad 
rush,  and  Ben  wasn't  quick  enough  to  catch 
him.  It  was  Jimmy  who  did  it. 

"  Let  me  go,"  cried  Joel  frantically,  and  he 
kicked  Jimmy's  shins.  But  Jimmy's  hand  was 
just  as  tight  for  all  that,  on  Joel's  arm. 


424  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  He's  chewed  it  all  up,"  cried  Joel  wildly, 
as  Polly  and  Ben  ran  up.  "  Let  me  go! " 

"  No,  you  don't,"  and  Ben  got  hold  of  the 
other  arm,  "  what's  that  in  your  hand,  Joe?  " 

"  Dave's  cap,"  Joel  flung  open  his  hand. 
There  it  was,  with  " —  vid  Pepper  "  on  what 
remained  of  the  rim. 

"Oh,  Mamsie!"  and  the  horrified  little 
group  looked  up  into  Mother  Pepper's  face. 
And  there  was  Phronsie,  who  hadn't  under- 
stood anything  only  that  she  must  leave  the 
dear  sweet  little  monkeys — and  Davie,  his 
light  hair  in  soft  waves  over  his  forehead, 
crowded  up  to  Mrs.  Pepper's  side.  His  hands 
were  tightly  clasped  and  he  closed  his  eyes  to 
squeeze  back  the  tears. 

"No,  no,  Polly,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  for 
Polly  was  just  beginning,  "  Why,  Mamsie, 
what — "  "  we  won't  have  the  story  now,  and 
see  —  there  is  Simmons  coming  for  us.  It's 
time  to  go  home." 

When  they  were  once  in  Miss  Parrott's  big 
coach,  the  story  all  came  out.  Simmons  on 
his  coachman's  box,  alternately  drew  himself 
up  straighter  than  ever,  and  then  shrank  down 
in  a  way  he  couldn't  remember  doing  when 


DAVID'S  CAP  425 

on  duty  as  befitted  holding  his  aristocratic  po- 
sition in  the  community. 

"  I  won't  tell  her  —  the  Missus  acts  bad 
enough  as  'tis  over  them  poor  childern.  What 
if  he  did  lose  his  cap ! "  Away  he  drove  in 
great  form  down  a  hundred  yards  or  so. 
Then  he  pricked  up  his  ears. 

"  Oh,  Davie,"  Polly  was  saying  mournfully 
within  the  coach,  "  it's  too  bad !  Mamsie, 
what  shall  we  do !  " 

Simmons  didn't  hear  Mrs.  Pepper's  reply. 
Down  his  shoulders  went  and  he  drooped,  let- 
ting the  reins  slacken.  And  then  he  straight- 
ened up  again,  quite  determined  to  let  matters 
alone.  But  as  he  drove  up  to  the  little  brown 
house,  and  watched  them  all  get  out,  he 
couldn't  help  but  see  Davie's  face. 

He  looked  back  over  his  shoulder  to  watch 
them  go  up  the  path,  not  taking  his  gaze  off 
till  they  were  all  in,  and  the  green  door  shut. 

"  I  s'pose  I'd  felt  pretty  bad  when  I  warn't 
no  bigger'n  him,  to  lose  my  cap,  if  I  didn't 
know  where  to  get  another.  Thunder !  " 

And  before  he  even  put  up  his  horses,  Miss 
Parrott  had  the  whole  story. 

"  I  presume  they  keep  boys'  caps  down  at 


426  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

the  store,  Simmons  ? "  said  Miss  Parrott 
quickly. 

"  That  they  do,  Ma'am,"  said  Simmons. 

"  And  perhaps  you  could  tell  Mr.  Atkins  the 
right  size  ?  " 

"  There  wouldn't  be  no  trouble  about  that, 
Ma'am." 

There  was  a  little  transaction  with  money 
that  came  out  of  Miss  Parrott's  black  silk  bag, 
and  Simmons  hurried  out  to  take  care  of  his 
horses,  before  he  attended  to  the  matter  that 
now  began  to  appear  quite  important  to  him. 

Jimmy,  his  hand  thrust  into  the  pockets  his 
mother  hadn't  been  able  to  make  quite  whole, 
turned  down  to  the  little  cabin  on  Fletcher 
Road  called  "Mrs.  Skinner's  house."  The 
loss  of  David's  cap  bothered  him  dreadfully 
on  top  of  the  other  matter  connected  with  the 
circus  boy.  Jimmy  wasn't  able  to  get  him  out 
of  his  mind.  While  the  cake  was  rapidly  dis- 
appearing, he  had  heard  the  story  of  being 
"  starved  and  beaten,"  the  boy  looking  for 
more,  in  a  way  that  struck  Jimmy  harder  than 
the  loss  of  his  own  treasured  part  of  the  feast. 

"  I  can't  help  him  none,"  he  declared,  with 
a  reckless  twitch  of  his  shoulders,  "  no  more'n 


DAVID'S  CAP  427 

I  could  get  a  new  cap  for  Mis  Pepper's  boy/' 

He  stopped  suddenly,  "  Can't  I  help  get  a 
cap  for  David  Pepper  ?  " 

He  took  off  his  own  cap  and  scratched  his 
head.  That  did  no  good,  and  he  flung  the  cap 
back.  He  hadn't  a  penny  in  his  pocket.  He 
knew  that  without  the  trouble  of  turning  the 
pocket  inside  out.  But  —  couldn't  he  get 
some  work?  Where? 

It  was  a  pretty  small  prospect  before  him, 
as  all  Badgertown  people  had  a  poor  opinion 
of  his  desire  or  ability  to  work. 

"  What's  th'  use  ?  "  he  said,  kicking  off  some 
small  stones  in  the  rough  road.  Then  he 
picked  up  one  and  shied  it  at  a  bird.  He  was 
astonished  to  find  that  he  was  relieved  after 
all  that  he  hadn't  hit  it,  and  he  kicked  and 
scuffed  more  stones.  That  gave  him  an  idea. 

Away  back,  almost  a  year  before,  a  farmer 
in  the  north  end  of  the  township  had  asked 
him  to  "  pick  rocks  "  in  a  barren  field  to  be 
cleared  for  cultivation.  Jjmmy  had  said  "  Not 
much !  " —  and  turned  off  with  a  laugh.  Sup- 
pose the  farmer  wanted  him  now !  It  wasn't 
a  pretty  job,  Jimmy  knew,  breaking  one's  back, 
and  hauling  and  piling  the  stones.  But  — 


428  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

well,  he  could  ask ;  it  wouldn't  do  any  harm  to 
do  that. 

Jimmy  turned  in  at  the  door.  Mrs.  Skinner 
lifted  a  hot  red  face  from  the  steaming  wash- 
tub.  All  hours  of  the  day  were  her  work- 
times. 

"  Well,"  she  beamed  in  great  and  unusual 
contentment,  resting  her  hands  on  the  tub  rim, 
"and  was  the  circus  fine?" 

"  Prime,"  said  Jimmy,  "  I'm  coming  back," 
slamming  the  door. 

"  I  want  to  hear  — "  began  his  mother  in 
terrible  disappointment.  But  he  was  already 
half-way  down  Fletcher  Road. 

"  No,"  said  the  farmer,  just  getting  up  from 
his  supper,  "  you're  too  late.  Them  rocks  was 
all  picked,  an'  I'm  plowin'  th'  field." 

"Tell  him  about  Badger's  land,"  said  his 
wife,  gathering  up  the  remains  of  the  supper. 

"  Oh,  yes,  see  here,"  called  the  farmer, 
"  Badger  wants  th'  rocks  picked  from  his  land. 
I  guess  you  can  get  a  job  there." 

When  Jimmy  dragged  himself  back  from 
"  Badger's,"  the  lamps  and  candles  had  been 
lighted  for  some  time  in  the  cottages  along 
the  road.  He  looked  for  Mrs.  Pepper's  as  he 


DAVID'S  CAP  429 

passed  the  little  brown  house.  There  she  was 
over  by  the  table  sewing.  Jimmy  had  a  pang 
as  he  thought  how  many  stitches  she  would 
have  to  set  before  Davie's  loss  could  be  made 
good.  He  didn't  know  that  a  brand-new  cap 
had  been  handed  in,  and  that  after  the  jolli- 
fication over  it  had  spent  itself,  Da  vie  had 
taken  it  up  into  the  loft  to  hang  by  the  side 
of  the  shakedown,  the  first  thing  his  eyes 
would  rest  upon  the  next  morning. 

That  next  morning,  the  old  kitchen  was  just 
the  jolliest  place,  full  of  the  circus  and  its  de- 
lightful memories.  Davie,  with  his  new  cap 
on  his  head,  was  prancing  around,  the  center 
of  observation. 

"It's  a  perfectly  beautiful  cap!"  declared 
Polly,  for  nobody  knows  how  many  times, 
and  stopping  on  her  way  for  the  broom  to 
sweep  up. 

"  I  wish  the  monkey  had  eaten  mine  up," 
said  Joel  discontentedly. 

"  You  may  wear  mine."  David  stopped 
prancing,  and  twitched  off  his  cap. 

"No,  no,  Davie,"  said  Polly,  "Miss  Par- 
rott  sent  you  that  cap,  and  she  wouldn't  like 
you  not  to  wear  it." 


430  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  And  if  a  monkey  should  eat  mine,"  said 
Joel,  just  as  well  pleased,  "  I  guess  Miss  Par- 
rott  will  give  me  one.  I  don't  want  yours, 
Dave."  With  that  David  clapped  on  his  cap 
again,  and  Joel  seizing  him  about  the  waist, 
they  spun  round  and  round  the  kitchen,  getting 
in  the  way  of  Polly's  broom,  and  hindering 
dreadfully.  All  of  a  sudden,  down  fell  David, 
and  Joel  on  top  of  him. 

"  I  didn't  make  him,"  cried  Joel,  in  dismay 
and  hopping  up,  as  Polly  threw  down  the 
broom  and  ran  over. 

"  He  didn't  make  me,"  gasped  Davie,  get- 
ting up.  The  new  cap  had  fallen  off  long 
before,  and  Polly  had  picked  it  up  to  hang  it 
carefully  on  a  nail.  "  It  was  my  shoe." 

"Your  shoe?"  repeated  Mrs.  Pepper  over 
by  the  window.  "  What  is  the  matter  with 
your  shoe?  Come  here,  David."  She  laid 
down  the  sewing  in  her  lap,  as  David  scuffed 
across  the  floor. 

"  Well,  that  does  need  mending,"  she  said, 
as  David  put  his  small  foot  in  her  lap. 

"  I'm  so  sorry,"  he  began. 

"  Well,  now,  Mother  is  so  glad  that  you 
didn't  get  hurt  with  your  shoe  so  bad  as  that," 


DAVID'S  CAP  431 

she  said  cheerily.  "  Now  you  must  get  right 
down  to  Mr.  Beebe's  and  ask  him  to  sew  it 
up." 

"  And  mine  needs  mending,  too,"  cried  Joel, 
hopping  over  on  one  foot  to  her  chair.  "  I 
want  to  go  to  Mr.  Beebe's." 

"  No,  Joel,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  with  a  laugh, 
"  your  shoes  are  perfectly  sound.  There  now, 
Davie,  go  right  down  to  the  shoe-shop  and  ask 
Mr.  Beebe  if  he  will  please  to  sew  it  up  now 
—  because  you  haven't  any  other  shoes  —  and 
walk  carefully,  child,  else  you'll  make  it  worse, 
and  besides,  you  might  fall." 

"  Now  isn't  it  nice  that  Davie  has  a  new 
cap?"  cried  Polly,  going  to  the  window, 
broom  in  hand,  to  watch  him  as  he  passed 
down  the  road.  Joel  had  run  out  to  go  as 
far  as  the  gate  with  him,  then  he  had  turned 
back  to  the  woodshed,  for  Mrs.  Pepper  had 
said  he  must  pick  up  some  kindlings. 

"  I  do  think  folks  are  awfully  good  to  us, 
Mamsie,"  said  Polly,  turning  away  from  the 
window,  to  pause  a  minute  before  beginning 
to  sweep  again.  "  Just  supposing  Miss  Par- 
rott  hadn't  let  us  see  that  circus!"  and  her 
cheeks  paled  at  the  very  thought. 


432  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  and  her  busy 
needle  stopped.  "  Miss  Parrott  is  good,  and 
God  is  good,  to  let  her  do  it." 

"  Isn't  He?  "  cried  Polly,  with  shining  eyes. 
"  And  now  to  think  that  Davie  has  a  new  cap, 
too!"  as  the  busy  needle  now  went  hurrying 
in  and  out.  "  But  I  never  shall  get  this  floor 
swept  up,  if  I  stop  all  the  time." 

Davie  hurried  as  fast  as  he  could,  because 
the  shoe  must  be  mended  as  soon  as  possible. 
But  he  had  to  step  carefully  else  a  bad  matter 
would  be  made  worse.  At  last  he  was  over 
the  cobble-stones  of  the  narrow  street  in  front 
of  the  shoe-shop,  and  lifting  the  knocker  on 
Mr.  Beebe's  door. 

"Well,  well,"  cried  the  little  shoemaker, 
turning  away  from  a  box  of  bed-slippers  he 
was  sorting  to  rub  his  hands  together  delight- 
edly, "if  here  doesn't  come  Davie  Pepper!" 

"  Yes/'  said  David,  "  I've  come." 

He  took  off  his  new  cap  —  he  didn't  want 
to,  but  Mamsie  had  said  "  Never  keep  a  cap 
on  when  you  go  to  see  people,"  and  to  enter 
the  little  shoe-shop  was  far  more  than  to  do 
business;  it  was  to  visit  friends.  So  he  held 
the  new  cap  in  his  hands. 


DAVID'S  CAP  433 

"  And  now  what  can  I  do  for  you,  Davie  ?  " 
asked  little  Mr.  Beebe,  coming  forward. 
"  What  has  your  mother  sent  you  for?  " 

"  It's  to  mend  my  shoe,"  said  Davie,  holding 
up  his  foot  to  show  where  the  leather  flapped. 

"  So  ? "  cried  the  little  shoemaker,  setting 
his  spectacles  straight.  "  Well,  now,  you  come 
over  an'  set  on  th'  bench,  an'  we'll  see  what  we 
shall  see  about  that  shoe." 

So  Davie  hobbled  over  and  sat  on  the  bench, 
and  the  little  shoe  was  drawn  off  and  sub- 
mitted to  a  close  examination,  Davie  following 
every  movement  with  anxious  eyes. 

"  The  whole  o'  th'  shoe  is  pretty  bad,"  said 
little  Mr.  Beebe  slowly,  pinching  the  well- 
worn  leather  critically. 

Davie  drew  a  long  breath.  "And  Mamsie 
said  would  you  please  sew  it  up  now,  as  I 
haven't  any  more  shoes." 

"  Sho ! "  exclaimed  the  little  shoemaker. 
Then  he  thought  better  of  what  he  was  going 
to  say.  "  Yes,  I'll  get  right  to  work  on  it,"  and 
pretty  soon  he  was  stitching  away  and  cobbling 
at  a  great  rate,  Davie  swinging  his  stocking 
foot,  and  the  other  one  in  its  rusty  shoe,  while 
the  work  went  on. 


434  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"Where  do  you  suppose  I  went  yesterday, 
Mr.  Beebe  ?  "  asked  Davie  in  the  midst  of  it. 
For  the  little  shoemaker  always  expected  the 
Pepper  children  to  entertain  him  when  they 
came  to  the  shop.  "  It  makes  work  go  easier," 
he  said. 

"  Now  I  never  can  guess/'  said  Mr.  Beebe, 
waxing  his  long  thread  again. 

"  I  went  to  the  circus,"  said  Davie. 

"You  didn't,  though!"  The  little  shoe- 
maker was  genuinely  surprised  now,  and  he 
dropped  his  needle  to  peer  over  his  spectacles 
at  Davie. 

"  Yes,  I  did,"  said  Davie,  with  a  jubilant 
little  crow,  "  and  every  single  one  of  us  did, 
Mr.  Beebe,"  and  he  clapped  his  hands  in  de- 
light at  the  remembrance. 

"  Now  do  tell !  "  The  little  shoemaker  was 
so  overwhelmed  with  the  news  that  he  forgot 
to  pick  up  his  needle.  "  Well,  how  did  you 
get  there?" 

"  In  the  big  coach,"  said  Davie,  bobbing  his 
head.  He  didn't  think  it  was  necessary  to 
designate  whose  vehicle,  as  Badgertown 
boasted  only  one. 


PRKTTY   SOON  HE  WAS   STITCHING  AWAY  AND  COBBLING  AT  A   GREAT 
BATE,  DAVIE  SWINGING  HIS  STOCKING-FOOT.—  Page  433. 


DAVID'S  CAP  435 

"Not  Miss  Parrott's!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Beebe. 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  bobbing  his  head  again. 

"  Well,  I  never !  She  didn't  go,  did  she  ?  " 
exclaimed  the  little  shoemaker. 

"  No,"  this  time  Davie  shook  his  head. 

"  I  thought  not.  I  sh'd  as  soon  'xpect  one 
of  th'  tombstones  in  th'  buryin'-ground  to  get 
sociable  as  her.  Well,  well — "  here  Mr. 
Beebe  picked  up  his  needle  and  began  to  pull 
it  briskly  in  and  out  of  the  leather.  "  Now 
you  must  tell  me  all  about  it.  Begin  at  th' 
beginnin',  Davie,  an'  reel  off." 

So  Davie  began,  and  the  little  shop  got  very 
merry,  Davie  stopping  every  now  and  then  to 
laugh  at  the  antics  of  the  bears,  and  the  little 
ponies  and  the  elephants  and  the  funny  men 
who  wore  white  clothes  with  red  spots  over 
them,  and  who  had  holes  for  eyes,  and  who 
kept  walking  up  and  down  saying  things  to 
make  people  laugh,  or  who  were  tumbling  off 
all  the  while  from  the  donkeys'  backs.  And 
the  little  shoemaker  wanted  dreadfully  to  stop 
cobbling  to  hear  the  better,  but  he  knew  Mrs. 
Pepper  expected  her  boy  home,  so  he  kept  on 


436  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

with  his  work,  every  now  and  then  grunting 
out,  "  Well  I  never!  "  and  "  Who  ever  did! " 
and  the  like. 

So  of  course  no  one  heard  the  door  open/ 
and  the  big  woman  who  walked  in,  exclaimed, 
"Goodness,  Mr.  Beebe,  what's  th'  matter!" 

"  There  ain't  nothin',  as  I  know  of,"  said 
the  little  shoemaker,  looking  up  composedly, 
"  an'  please  to  shet  th'  door,  Mis  Goodsell." 

Mrs.  Goodsell  pushed  the  door  to  with  her 
foot.  "  I  thought  you  was  havin*  a  party  by 
the  noise,"  she  said,  coming  over  to  sit  heav- 
ily down  on  the  bench  by  David's  side.  Then 
she  whipped  the  shawl-ends  over  across  her 
lap  and  stared  first  at  the  little  shoemaker  and 
then  at  Davie. 

"We  was,"  said  Mr.  Beebe,  "us  two;  we 
made  quite  a  nice  party ;  just  big  enough." 

"  Who  is  the  boy?  "  Mrs.  Goodsell  turned 
her  heavy  body  as  far  as  she  could  and  stared 
worse  than  ever  at  Davie. 

"  That  is  David  Pepper  sitting  on  the 
bench,"  said  Mr.  Beebe.  "  Now  what  kind 
o'  shoes  do  you  want,  Mis  Goodsell?  You 
can  be  tellin'  me,  an'  then  I'll  be  ready  to  get 


DAVID'S  CAP  437 

'em  when  I'm  through  with  this  piece  o' 
work." 

"  I  d'no's  I  want  any  shoes,"  said  the  big 
woman,  "  I  thought  I'd  drop  in  an'  see  what 
you'd  got." 

"Well,"  said  the  little  shoemaker,  "my 
business  is  to  show  folks  who  want  shoes,  not 
to  show  'em  shoes  ef  they  don't  want  any." 

"  But  I  may  want  'em  ef  you've  got  some  I 
like,"  said  Mrs.  Goodsell  tartly. 

As  Mr.  Beebe  said  nothing  to  this,  but  kept 
on  with  his  cobbling,  Mrs.  Goodsell  concen- 
trated her  attention  on  the  small  boy  by  her 
side. 

"Who's  your  folks?  "  she  demanded.  She 
had  faded  greenish  eyes,  and  Davie  could 
think  of  nothing  but  gooseberries.  He  tried 
not  to  look  at  them,  and  at  last  turned  such  a 
helpless  glance  on  the  little  shoemaker,  that 
Mr.  Beebe  came  to  the  rescue.  He  had  opened 
his  mouth  to  ask,  "  And  how  is  your  folks, 
Mis  Goodsell  ?  "  when  an  organ-grinder  sud- 
denly struck  up  a  tune  just  outside  the  shop 
door. 

Davie  sprang  from  the  bench  and  hopped 


438  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

close  to  the  little  old  man  still  cobbling  away. 

"  Oh,  I  must  go,"  he  cried.  "  Do  give  me 
my  shoe,  Mr.  Beebe,"  holding  out  a  frantic 
hand. 

"  There,  there,  Davie,"  said  the  little  shoe- 
maker, "  you  wait  a  minute,  an'  I'll  have  your 
shoe  done." 

"  Isn't  it  done  enough  ?  "  said  Davie,  all  in 
a  tremble,  "please,  dear  Mr.  Beebe,  let  me 
go!" 

"What's  th'  matter  with  th'  boy?"  cried 
Mrs.  Goodsell,  "  I  never  see  anybody  act  so.1' 

"  Don't  you  fret  yourself,  Mis  Goodsell," 
said  Mr.  Beebe,  "  I'll  take  care  o'  Davie.  You 
set  an'  be  comf'table." 

"Well,  I  can't  be  comf'table  —  who  could 
be,  seein'  him  carryin'  on  so  ?  "  said  the  big 
woman. 

Mr.  Beebe,  not  hearing  her,  for  he  was  now 
divided  over  his  attempts  to  soothe  Davie,  and 
to  see  the  little  shoe  repaired  as  it  should  be, 
bent  his  gray  head  to  hear  Davie,  who  was  by 
this  time  in  a  frenzy  to  get  home,  and  as  he 
kept  saying,  "be  with  Phronsie." 

"  So  you  shall,  Davie,  in  a  minute  or  two, 
an*  don't  you  worry,  th'  organ  man  can't  get 


DAVID'S  CAP  439 

by  your  house  in  a  long  while  with  that  thing 
on  his  back.  And  mebbe  he  ain't  goin'  that 
way  at  all." 

"  Oh,  he  will  —  he  will !  "  cried  Davie,  in 
his  terror  guilty  of  contradicting,  and  he  beat 
his  hands  together  and  hopped  from  one  foot 
to  the  other  in  his  distress. 

Suddenly  the  organ  man  stopped  the  tune, 
and  twitched  a  chain  that  rattled  on  the  cobble- 
stones. Up  ran  a  monkey,  and  as  the  man 
slung  the  organ  on  his  back,  the  monkey  fol- 
lowed to  perch  himself  there,  pull  off  his  cap 
and  bow  to  a  baker's  boy  and  a  small  girl  with 
a  paper  bag  of  groceries,  both  hanging  on  his 
every  movement  with  wide  open  mouth  and 
eyes. 

Davie  saw  all  this,  as  he  plunged  over  to 
the  small-paned  window,  when  the  tune 
stopped,  and  peered  out  between  the  rows  of 
shoes  and  slippers  that  were  strung  across  it. 

"  He's  going !  "  he  gave  a  sharp  little  cry. 
Hearing  this,  and  seeing  his  face,  little  Mr. 
Beebe  stopped  his  work  nearly  as  suddenly  as 
the  tune.  "  There  now,  I'll  put  on  your  shoe. 
'Tain't  done  as  good  as  I  want  to,  you  tell  your 
Ma,  an'  ef  you  come  over  to-morrow,  I'll 


440  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

finish  th'  job  up  good  an'  splendid."  He  was 
saying  all  this  as  he  tied  the  shoe  on  Davie's 
small  foot.  "  An'  don't  you  worry  a  mite." 
Davie,  only  waiting  till  the  string  was  tied, 
shot  out  and  over  the  big  flat  door-stone  to 
the  cobble-stones  of  the  narrow  street. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
THE  STORY  IN  THE  SHOE-SHOP 

"1VFY!    How  he  acts!"  exclaimed  Mrs- 
•*•   •*•  Goodsell,     nervously     drawing     her 

shawl-ends  closer  over  her  lap.     "  Who  is  that 
boy,  anyway  ?  " 

"  Why,  that's  David  Pepper,"  said  the  little 
shoemaker. 

"David  who?" 

Mr.  Beebe  was  craning  his  short  neck  to 
see  through  the  small-paned  window  what 
progress  David  was  making  over  the  cobble- 
stones, and  he  didn't  pay  much  attention  to 
the  big  woman  sitting  on  the  bench.  So  she 
got  clumsily  up  to  her  feet  and  came  over  to 
him. 

"  Who'd  you  say  that  boy  was  ?  "  she  de- 
manded. 

"  Pepper  —  David  Pepper,  I  told  you,"  said 
little  Mr.  Beebe,  turning  away  from  the 
window. 

44i 


442  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  You  said  David  —  I  didn't  catch  the  last 


name." 


"  Well,  it's  Pepper." 

"Pepper?  Well,  that's  a  funny  name. 
Who  be  his  folks?" 

"  Now,  Mis'  Goodsell,"  exclaimed  the  little 
shoemaker  in  exasperation,  standing  quite  still 
to  regard  her,  "  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
don't  know  Mis'  Pepper?  I  thought  all  Bad- 
gertown  knew  her." 

"  Well,  my  fam'ly  ain't  Badgertown  folks, 
you  must  remember,"  said  Mrs.  Goodsell,  get- 
ting back  to  the  bench,  and  flapping  the  shawl- 
ends  again  across  her  lap,  "an'  I  don't  get 
over  from  Four  Corners  only  once  in  a  dog's 
age.  How  am  I  to  know  your  Pepperses,  pray 
tell?" 

"Well,  you've  missed  gettin'  acquainted 
with  an  awful  nice  woman,"  observed  Mr. 
Beebe.  "  I  tell  you,  we  set  by  her  in  Badger- 
town,  her  an'  her  childern." 

"  Well,  ef  they're  as  queer  as  that  young 
one,"  Mrs.  Goodsell  indicated  with  her  large 
hand  the  departed  small  boy,  "I  guess  I 
hain't  anythin'  to  cry  over  'cause  we  ain't  more 
acquainted." 


THE  STORY  443 

"  Ef  you  mean  'cause  David  got  scared  an' 
run  off/'  the  little  shoemaker  stopped  half 
across  the  shop  on  his  way  to  begin  a  cobbling 
job,  and  faced  her  with  a  gleaming  eye,  "  I 
can  tell  you  why.  'Twas  enough  to  make  him 
run,  I  says,  says  I." 

"  What  was  ?  "  the  big  woman  hitched  for- 
ward on  the  bench.  It  was  worth  coming  in 
from  "  Four  Corners  " —  a  journey  she  de- 
tested, to  hear  the  little  shoemaker  go  on  like 
this,  for  generally  he  only  passed  the  time  of 
day,  and  then  got  down  to  the  business  of 
selling  shoes. 

"Why,  when  he  heard  that  organ  man 
strike  up  so  suddint." 

Mrs.  Goodsell  turned  and  stared  at  the 
small-paned  window,  in  a  puzzled  way. 

"  I  don't  see  nothin'  to  that,"  she  said. 

"Well,  but  there  was  a  monkey." 

"  S'posin'  there  was  —  there  warn't  nothin' 
to  that,  neither." 

"  Well,  it  might  'a'  ben  like  th'  other  monkey 
—  mebbe  'twas  th'  same  one ! "  the  little  shoe- 
maker slapped  his  fat  thigh,  "  I  wouldn't  won- 
der; an'  David  guessed  it." 

"  Ef  you  could  stop  talkin'  about  your  mon- 


444  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

keys,  an*  begin  again,  mebbe  I  c'd  make  head 
or  tail  o'  what  you're  tryin'  to  tell  me,  Mr. 
Beebe,"  cried  the  big  woman  in  irritation. 

Little  Mr.  Beebe  kept  slapping  his  thigh,  and 
declaring,  "  I  do  b'lieve  Davie  guessed  it," 
then  he  suddenly  waddled  over  to  the  corner, 
got  out  a  box  of  dilapidated  shoes,  picked  out 
a  pair,  and  sat  down  to  work,  "  Yes,  I  verily 
b'lieve  he  guessed  it." 

Mrs.  Goodsell  heaved  a  long  sigh.  It  was 
no  use  to  ask  him  to  begin,  for  she  knew  he 
wouldn't  do  it  till  he  was  ready  —  so  she 
folded  her  large  hands  over  the  shawl-ends. 

"You  see,"  said  little  Mr.  Beebe,  holding 
up  a  man's  shoe  to  thumb  it  critically,  "it's 
just  this  way,  about  David  —  O  dear  me!  it 
beats  all  how  th'  parson  does  wear  out  his 
shoes.  I'm  afraid  that's  too  far  gone  to 
mend." 

He  set  the  minister's  shoe  on  his  lap  and 
regarded  it  mournfully. 

"  I  guess  I  must  be  goin',"  Mrs.  Goodsell 
made  as  if  her  mind  were  on  "  Four  Corners." 

"  No,  no,"  cried  the  little  shoemaker,  tear- 
ing off  his  gaze  from  the  parson's  footgear, 
"  I  must  tell  you  about  Davie,  for  you  ain't 


THE  STORY  445 

a-goin'  away  until  you  understand  about  th' 
boy.  You  see,  th'  littlest  of  th'  Pepper  chil- 
dern  is  a  girl,  an'  she  ain't  much  more'n  a 
baby.  You  ought  to  see  her ! "  He  pushed 
up  his  spectacles  and  beamed  at  her. 

"  Never  mind,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Goodsell, 
"  I  know  about  babies.  Had  plenty  o'  my 
own.  Go  on,  Mr.  Beebe." 

"  Well,"  the  little  shoemaker  swallowed  his 
disappointment  at  being  held  up  in  his  de- 
scription of  Phronsie,  "  everybody  in  the  little 
brown  house  looks  out  for  everybody  else. 
That's  th'  way  they  do;  an'  although  Mis' 
Pepper  is  a  hard-workin'  woman,  it  just  beats 
all  how  pleasant  they  keep.  You  never'd 
know  to  look  at  'em  how  they  scrimp  an* 
pinch." 

The  big  woman  unfolded  her  hands  from 
the  shawl-ends,  and  slowly  regarded  them. 
But  she  said  nothing,  and  Mr.  Beebe  went  on. 

"  Yes,  they  just  hang  together,  an'  look  out 
for  each  other." 

"  I  warrant  so,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Goodsell 
with  a  sniff,  "  an'  do  nothin'  for  nobody  else." 

"  There's  where  you're  wrong."  Little  old 
Mr.  Beebe  fairly  snapped  it  out.  "  Ef  there's 


446  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

a  fam'ly  in  Badgertown  that  does  more  for 
other  folks,  I  hain't,  so  far,  heerd  th'  name." 

"  I  thought  you  said  they  was  obleeged  to 
scrimp,"  said  Mrs.  Goodsell. 

"  What's  that  got  to  do  with  it  ?  "  The  little 
shoemaker  brought  this  out  with  such  a  roar 
that  old  Mrs.  Beebe  threw  open  the  door  into 
the  shop.  She  was  just  mixing  bread,  and 
her  sleeves  were  rolled  up,  and  little  flour  dabs 
had  flown  up  as  far  as  her  cap. 

"  Mercy  me,  Pa.  I  thought  you  was  sick !  " 
she  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  how  do  you  do,  Mis' 
Goodsell." 

"I  ain't  sick,  Ma,"  replied  the  little  shoe- 
maker, turning  his  round  red  face  to  her,  "  but 
I  shall  be  unless  you  come  in  an'  'xplain  things 
about  th'  Peppers." 

"What  about  th'  Peppers?  There  hain't 
nothin'  happened  to  'em !  "  cried  Mrs.  Beebe  in 
alarm,  and  trotting  in. 

"My  land,  no!"  declared  the  little  shoe- 
maker. "  I  wouldn't  be  a-settin'  here  so  ca'm- 
like,  ef  any  trouble  had  'a'  come  to  them,  Ma." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  they're  all  right,  I'll  come  back 
as  soon  as  I've  mixed  my  bread,"  and  Mrs. 
Beebe  trotted  out  again. 


THE  STORY  447 

Little  Mr.  Beebe  began  to  work  briskly  on 
the  minister's  shoe.  As  long  as  Ma  was  com- 
ing back,  it  wouldn't  pay  to  get  flustered. 
Meantime  the  big  woman  plied  him  with  ques- 
tions till  she  had  a  pretty  fair  idea  of  the  little- 
brown-house  people,  and  all  their  ages  and 
names. 

Then  she  drew  out  her  big  hands  again  from 
the  shawl-ends  and  held  them  up,  "  They'll  tell 
the  story.  I've  worked  some  in  my  life,"  she 
said,  "  an*  I  never  got  no  time  to  do  for  other 
folks." 

"Prob'ly  not,"  said  the  little  shoemaker 
drily.  "  Well,  here's  Ma,"  and  he  drew  a  long 
breath  of  relief. 

Little  Mrs.  Beebe  had  put  on  a  fresh  cap, 
and  was  now  tying  the  strings  of  a  clean  white 
apron  around  her  ample  waist,  as  befitted  sit- 
ting down  in  the  shop. 

"  Tell  about  how  Phronsie  run  off  after  th' 
monkey,"  said  Mr.  Beebe. 

"  That  always  makes  me  feel  bad  whenever 
I  tell  it,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe,  with  a  sigh,  "  'cause 
it  brings  back  what  a  dretful  thing  it  was. 
Why,  we  thought  we'd  lost  her!  "  She  leaned 
forward  suddenly  in  her  chair,  and  the  color 


448  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

in  her  cheek  like  that  of  a  winter  apple,  seemed 
suddenly  to  fade. 

"  You !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Goodsell,  in  aston- 
ishment. "  Why,  she  warn't  noways  related. 
Why  did  you  take  on  about  it,  pray  tell  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  understand,"  began  Mrs.  Beebe. 

"No,  she  don't,"  declared  the  little  shoe- 
maker irritably,  "  and  what's  more,  she  won't, 
ef  you  sh'd  set  there  till  the  day  o'  judgment." 

"  But  she  must''  Mrs.  Beebe  pointed  off  her 
words  with  the  fingers  of  one  pudgy  hand 
marking  them  off  on  the  palm  of  the  other. 
"  We  all  —  everybody  in  Badgertown  sets  a 
sight  by  those  Pepper  childern,  an'  Phronsie 
—  well  there,"  she  lifted  up  a  corner  of  her 
apron  and  wiped  her  eyes. 

"  Well,  go  on,"  said  Mrs.  Goodsell. 

"  An*  one  day,  we  don't  'xactly  know  how, 
Phronsie  followed  an  organ  grinder  —  he  had 
a  monkey  an'  he  stopped  an'  played  in  th'  Pep- 
pers' yard  —  th'  little  brown  house,  you 
know." 

Mrs.  Goodsell  nodded.     "Yes,  go  on." 

"  An*  when  he  went  down  th'  road, 
Phronsie  went  after  him.  Polly  had  hurried 
back  to  work,  an'  Mis  Pepper  was  down  to 


THE  STORY  449 

the  parson's  helpin'  Mis  Henderson,  an'  the 
boys  was  a  workin'." 

"  Seems  to  me,  they  was  mighty  little  chil- 
dern  for  all  of  'em  to  be  workin',"  broke  in 
Mrs.  Goodsell,  incredulously. 

"  Th'  Peppers  warn't  never  too  little  to 
work,"  the  little  shoemaker  said  quickly. 
"  They  was  up  an'  at  it,  I  tell  you,  'nstead  o' 
playin'." 

"  Well,  go  on/'  said  Mrs.  Goodsell. 

"Oh,  I  can't,  hardly,"  gasped  little  Mrs. 
Beebe,  clasping  her  fat  hands,  "  it  brings  it  all 
back.  You  see,  she  —  she  didn't  come  back, 
an'  then  we  all  knew  she  was  lost."  With  that, 
Mrs.  Beebe  threw  her  apron  over  her  head 
and  burst  out  crying. 

The  little  shoemaker  deserted  the  parson's 
shoe,  and  skipped  over  to  her.  "  There,  there, 
Ma,"  he  patted  her  cap  with  a  soothing  hand. 
"  You  know  she  didn't  stay  lost.  We  got  her 
back." 

"Well,  I  think  you're  th'  queerest  folks," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Goodsell,  "  to  carry  on  so  over 
somethin'  that  never  happened,  an1  besides 
'twarn't  to  your  folks,  neither." 

"'Twas  our  folks,  I  keep  tellin'  you."     Lit- 


450  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

tie  Mrs.  Beebe  brought  her  flushed  face  out 
from  the  apron  and  wiped  off  the  tears. 
"  They  was  *  our  folks '  to  all  Badgertown. 
An'  ef  Phronsie  had  'a' — "  and  her  mouth 
trembled. 

"  You  see,"  the  little  shoemaker  hastened  to 
say,  "  we  was  all  a-lookin'  through  th'  whole 
o'  Badgertown  for  her  —  an*  then  to  think 
'twas  an  out-of-town  one  who  found  her,  after 
all." 

"  Who  ?  "  cried  the  big  woman. 

"A  boy,  an*  he  didn't  live  in  these  parts, 
neither  —  him  an'  his  big  black  dog  got  her 
away  from  th'  organ  grinder  an'  th'  monkey." 

"Is  that  so?    Well,  goon." 

"Yes,— now  you  tell  th'  rest,  Ma."  The 
little  shoemaker  ambled  back  to  his  work,  and 
picked  up  the  parson's  shoe  again. 

"  Well,  that  boy  was  stayin'  over  to  Hing- 
ham,"  explained  Mrs.  Beebe,  pointing  with  her 
fat  finger. 

"  Hingham  don't  lay  in  that  direction,"  said 
Mrs.  Goodsell  critically,  "  it's  over  there,"  and 
she  waved  her  big  hand  to  the  opposite  corner 
of  the  shop. 


THE  STORY  451 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe  easily,  "  I 
ain't  partic'lar  about  Hingham  now.  I'm 
tellin'  about  th'  boy,  he  was  stayin'  there  with 
his  father." 

"Who  was  his  father?"  Mrs.  Goodsell 
was  for  getting  all  the  particulars,  if  she  got 
any. 

"  Oh,  he  was  an  awful  big  man.  I  guess  he 
was  born  big,"  and  Mrs.  Beebe  shuddered. 
"  I  hain't  seen  him  but  twice.  An'  then  Bad- 
gertown  seemed  so  little  when  he  was  drivin' 
by,  I  was  afraid  he  couldn't  get  through.  But 
the  boy — "  here  a  smile  ran  up  Mrs.  Beebe's 
round  face — "you  never'd  know  from  him 
that  he  was  rich." 

"  Was  he  rich  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Goodsell  in  an 
awed  tone. 

"Rich?"  the  little  shoemaker's  wife 
brought  it  out  almost  in  a  scream,  "  why  he 
could  buy  us  all  up,  an'  you  Four  Corners 
folks,  an*  everywhere's  around  for  miles  and 
miles." 

"You  don't  say!" 

"  But  th'  boy  —  why,  he'd  come  over  an' 
play  with  th'  Pepper  childern  ev'ry  chance  he 


452  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

got.  You  see  th'  father  didn't  care  about 
havin'  young  folks  round,  so  Jasper  got 
lonely." 

"  Jasper  ?  "  interrupted  the  big  woman. 

"  Yes,  that  was  th'  boy's  name  —  Jasper 
King." 

"Oh!    Well,  go  on." 

"  He  got  lonely,  I  was  sayin',  with  nobody 
but  his  big  dog  for  comp'ny,  so  over  he'd  come 
to  Badgertown.  You  just  ought  to  hear  what 
times  they  had  in  th'  little  brown  house." 

Here  Mrs.  Beebe  laughed.  The  little  shoe- 
maker laid  down  his  work,  and  joined,  both 
of  them  shaking  their  fat  sides  at  the  remem- 
brance. 

"  I've  heerd  Polly  tell  about  them  times  — 
I  tell  you,  she's  the  one  to  set  off  a  story  good," 
chuckled  old  Mr.  Beebe,  "  ain't  she  now,  Ma  ?  " 

"  You'd  ought  to  have  seen  'em  as  I  seen 
'em  —  Pa  an'  me  both  did,"  said  the  shoe- 
maker's wife,  "  that  boy  with  one  o'  Mis  Pep- 
per's big  check  apuns  on  tied  around  his  neck, 
an'  rollin'  out  bits  o'  dough  —  an'  then  stickin' 
'em  into  th'  old  stove.  That  was  before  Dr. 
Fisher  give  'em  th'  new  stove  —  an'  him  as 
rich  as  Crocus." 


THE  STORY  453 

"Dr.  Fisher  rich!"  cried  Mrs.  Goodsell, 
raising  both  hands.  "  Why,  he's  as  poor  as 
Job's  turkey,  an'  with  them  two  old-maid  sis- 
ters on  his  hands.  Now  I  know  you've  ben 
stuffin'  me  right  along,  Mis  Beebe,"  she  added, 
in  an  injured  tone. 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  Dr.  Fisher  was  rich, 
I  said  th'  boy,"  cried  Mrs.  Beebe,  in  a  loud 
voice. 

"  Well,  go  on." 

"  An'  then,  he  had  to  go  —  th'  boy  did,  for 
his  father  went  back  home,  an' — " 

"  You  hain't  told  about  th'  gingerbread  boy, 
Ma,"  old  Mr.  Beebe  began  to  laugh  again. 

"  That  was  th'  funniest  of  all,"  said  Mrs. 
Beebe,  and  she  began  to  laugh,  too. 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  cried  the  big  woman  im- 
patiently. "  You  do  so  much  laughin',  you  an* 
Mr.  Beebe,  it's  kinder  slow  work  gettin* 
along." 

"  I  know  it,  an'  you  must  'xcuse  me,  Mis 
Goodsell,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe,  "  but  them  chil- 
dern  —  well,  you  see  Phronsie  always  takes 
it  to  heart  when  she  hears  anybody's  sick,  so 
she  made  a  gingerbread  boy  an*  made  'em  send 
it  to  Jasper's  father." 


454  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  My  goodness !  —  to  a  rich  man  —  a  gin- 
gerbread boy !  "  gasped  Mrs.  Goodsell. 

"Yes,  an'  you'd  V  thought  'twould  'a' 
made  him  mad,"  said  Mrs.  Beebe. 

"Well,  it  did,  didn't  it?"  said  Mrs.  Good- 
sell,  "  a  gingerbread  boy !  " 

"  Mad?  Why,  he  just  took  to  that  ginger- 
bread boy  like  a  duck  to  water!  An'  he  come 
over  to  see  Phronsie.  An'  now  you  can't 
think,  they're  a-writin'  back  an'  forth,  Jasper 
an'  th'  childern." 

"  Polly  gits  th'  letters,"  said  old  Mr.  Beebe. 

"  Yes,  an'  they  hope  he's  comin',  an'  th' 
father,  over  to  Hingham  again  this  summer," 
said  Mrs.  Beebe.  "Well,  I  could  tell  lots 
more,  but  I  sha'n't,  'cause  I've  got  to  get  back 
an'  git  on  my  other  apun  an'  red  up  my 
kitchen,"  and  she  waddled  off. 

"  It's  th'  most  remarkable  story  /  ever 
heerd,"  said  Mrs.  Goodsell,  getting  off  from 
the  bench,  seeing  there  was  no  more  to  be 
gained. 

"  So  you  see  why  David  Pepper  run  so  like 
lightnin',"  cried  old  Mr.  Beebe,  "he  was 
afraid  th'  organ  man  was  goin'  down  by  th' 


THE  STORY  455 

little  brown  house,  an*  he  wanted  to  get  home 
an'  see  that  Phronsie  didn't  get  took  off." 

"  Well,  I  don't  blame  him,"  said  Mrs.  Good- 
sell,  with  a  nod  from  her  large  head,  "  an'  I 
don't  myself  much  like  organ-grinders 
snoopin'  round.  Why,  there  he  is  now  —  an' 
th'  monkey's  comin'  in  th'  door ! " 


CHAPTER  XXX 
THE  LETTER 

T^HE  little  wrinkled  face  of  a  monkey  ap- 
-••     peared,  dragging  a  chain  at  the  end  of 
which  came  his  master.     He  had  set  the  organ 
up  against  the  little  shop. 

Mrs.  Goodsell,  not  knowing  how  she  got 
there,  was  standing  on  the  bench,  her  calico 
gown  whipped  tightly  around  her,  the  shawl- 
ends  wound  over  that,  and  screaming  loudly. 
Old  Mrs.  Beebe  hurried  in  with  both  hands 
raised,  while  the  little  shoemaker,  trying  to 
drive  out  both  the  monkey  and  the  man,  didn't 
succeed  in  doing  either,  but  got  tangled  up 
with  the  chain. 

"  Pa  —  Pa,  let  him  go!  "  cried  Mrs.  Beebe, 
wringing  her  hands.  "I'll  get  th'  broom," 
disappearing  to  come  back  with  it,  when  she 
found  things  in  a  much  worse  state.  For  the 
monkey,  shaking  the  chain  free  from  both  the 
456 


THE  LETTER  457 

little  shoemaker  and  his  master,  was  now  on 
the  upper  shelf  in  the  row  that  occupied  one 
side  of  the  shop,  twitching  off  the  covers  of 
the  boxes,  and  throwing  down  the  shoes  and 
rubbers  and  slippers  in  a  heap  to  the  floor. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  confusion,  David 
Pepper  opened  the  door. 

"  O  my  senses ! "  screamed  Mrs.  Goodsell 
from  the  bench,  where  she  was  constantly  hop- 
ping from  one  foot  to  the  other  in  terrified 
distress,  "  here's  that  boy  again  —  ah  —  oof! " 
as  the  monkey  stopped  his  work  a  second  to 
fasten  his  little  eyes  on  her. 

Davie  quickly  closed  the  door  and  stood  on 
the  big  flat  stone,  his  heart  beating  wildly. 
Then  he  opened  it  again.  "  I'll  help  you,"  he 
said,  going  in. 

"  Davie,  he'll  bite  you !  "  screamed  old  Mrs. 
Beebe,  waving  her  broom. 

Davie  shut  his  eyes,  as  he  thought  so,  too. 
Then  he  opened  them  and  began  to  climb  the 
lowest  shelf  to  reach  the  end  of  the  dangling 
chain.  The  monkey  stopped  regarding  the 
screaming  woman  on  the  bench,  whom  he  had 
almost  made  up  his  mind  he  would  leap  for, 
and  peered  over  at  the  boy,  and  as  quick  as 


458  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

lightning,  he  twitched  up  the  chain  and  grinned 
in  Davie's  face. 

"  Now,  you've  done  it,"  exclaimed  the  organ 
man,  with  a  word  that  wasn't  pretty  at  all, 
and  he  glared  at  Davie. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  sorry,"  said  Davie,  sliding  to 
the  floor.  His  face  was  very  red,  and  his  blue 
eyes  went  down  in  shame. 

"  Don't  feel  bad,"  old  Mr.  Beebe  gasped  out 
the  words,  and  leaned,  quite  spent,  against  the 
counter  where  he  did  up  his  bundles  for  cus- 
tomers. 

"  Get  something  to  eat,"  the  organ  man 
growled  it  out  at  the  shoemaker's  wife,  "  then 
he'll  come  down  and  I'll  lick  him  'most  to 
death." 

"  Oh,  you  mustn't,"  cried  Davie,  forgetting 
his  shame  to  rush  over  to  the  organ  man. 

"  Mustn't,  hey?  You  stand  out  of  th'  way, 
you  beggar-boy,  you,"  looking  down  con- 
temptuously at  Davie's  little  patched  shoes, 
and  he  pushed  him  roughly  off. 

"  You  let  that  boy  alone,"  commanded  old 
Mr.  Beebe,  puffing  up.  The  man  laughed  in 
the  fat  little  shoemaker's  face.  "  Get  some- 
thin'  to  eat,  I  tell  you,"  he  roared. 


THE  LETTER  459 

"Oh,  I  will  — I  will,"  old  Mrs.  Beebe 
trotted  off,  and  came  back  with  two  doughnuts 
in  her  trembling  hands. 

"You  hold  'em  up,"  said  the  organ  man. 
"  He  won't  come  down  for  me." 

"  Oh,  I  can't,"  Mrs.  Beebe  shook  all  over. 

"  Let  th'  boy  hold  'em,"  said  the  man ;  "  he 
butted  in  there  an'  lost  us  th'  chain,  and  now 
he  can  git  him  down." 

David  cast  a  wild  look  up  at  the  little  beast, 
whose  sharp  eyes  were  roving  from  his  master 
to  the  small  boy  that  had  interfered  with  the 
chain. 

"  No,  no,  Da  vie,"  began  the  little  shoe- 
maker—  but  intent  only  on  the  organ  man's 
charge  that  he  was  to  blame,  Davie  took  the 
doughnuts  out  of  old  Mrs.  Beebe's  hands,  be- 
fore she  realized  it. 

"You  mustn't  whip  him,"  he  said,  looking 
back  at  the  man,  before  he  held  them  up. 

But  he  didn't  need  to,  for  there  was  a  sud- 
den leap  from  the  high  shelf,  the  end  of  the 
chain  rattled  off,  and  the  monkey  came  down 
on  Davie's  little  shoulder,  knocking  him  to 
the  floor  in  among  the  shoes  and  slippers  and 
rubbers  scattered  about. 


460  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

They  never  knew  quite  how  it  all  ended, 
but  when  Davie  picked  himself  up,  the  organ 
man  was  dragging  the  monkey,  swallowing 
the  last  piece  of  the  second  doughnut,  out  of 
the  shop. 

"  He  mustn't  whip  him,"  cried  Davie,  gasp- 
ing from  his  fright,  and  darting  after. 

"You  come  back,"  commanded  the  little 
shoemaker.  "  See !  "  and  David  having  noth- 
ing to  do  but  to  obey,  he  was  led  over  to  look 
out  of  the  window.  There  was  the  monkey 
perched  on  the  organ  slung  on  the  back  of  the 
man,  who  was  getting  over  the  cobble-stones 
at  a  lively  rate.  "  Now  you  can  help  me  to 
pick  up  these,"  added  old  Mr.  Beebe,  pointing 
to  the  havoc  made  in  his  merchandise  sprawled 
over  the  floor. 

Old  Mrs.  Beebe  had  sunk  down  in  a  chair, 
and  clasped  her  hands. 

"  I'll  help  you,"  cried  Davie,  springing  to 
the  work,  yet  with  a  heavy  heart  as  he  thought 
of  the  monkey. 

Mrs.  Goodsell  stood  quite  still  on  the  bench, 
her  surprise  not  allowing  her  to  take  her  eyes 
off  from  Davie.  Now  she  peered  down  at 
him,  gathering  up  the  shoes,  rubbers,  and 


THE  LETTER  461 

slippers.  "  I  thought  you  was  scared  of 
monkeys,"  she  said  slowly.  Then  she  put  one 
large  foot  down  and  began  to  descend  to  the 
floor. 

"Did  you  go  home,  Davie?"  asked  the 
little  shoemaker  quickly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  handing  him  two  or 
three  rubbers ;  "  I  did,  and  Mamsie  sent  me 
back  to  ask  you  to  please  finish  mending  my 
shoe." 

"  So  I  will,"  said  old  Mr.  Beebe,  "  as  soon  as 
we  get  these  things  gathered  up.  Your  Ma 
will  look  after  Phronsie,  I  s'pose  she  told 
you." 

"  Yes,"  said  Davie,  "  she  did." 

"  Well  now,  I'm  glad  you  went  home  an* 
told  your  ma  there  was  an  organ  man  in 
Badgertown  'cause  there  ain't  no  Jasper  here 
now,  with  his  big  dog.  Heard  anythin*  from 
him  lately?" 

"Yes,"  said  Davie,  "Mr.  Atkins  gave 
Mamsie  a  letter  yesterday." 

"  Sho  now ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Beebe,  much 
gratified.  He  ached  to  ask  what  was  in  it,  but 
for  all  the  world  he  couldn't  bring  himself  to 
such  a  thing. 


462  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  What  did  the  letter  say?  "  demanded  Mrs. 
Goodsell. 

Davie  turned  his  blue  eyes  up  to  her.  "  It 
was  Mamsie's  letter,"  he  said  simply. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  heerd  you.  Well,  what  did  it 
sayf  I  ain't  cur'ous,  but  I  jest  thought  I'd 
ask.  Hey?" 

But  she  got  no  answer,  David  being  busy 
handing  the  shoes,  slippers,  and  rubbers  up  to 
old  Mr.  Beebe's  waiting  hands. 

"  Well,  of  all  the  impident  boys  I  ever  see !  " 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Goodsell,  slapping  the  shawl- 
ends  indignantly  around  her  big  figure,  "  you 
beat 'em  all!" 

"  There  —  there  —  "  declared  the  little 
shoemaker,  straightening  up,  "my  shop  ain't 
big  enough  to  hold  folks  who  talk  against  th' 
Peppers.  So,  good  mornin'  to  you,  Mis  Good- 
sell." 

"  An'  I  shake  th'  dust  off  from  my  feet," 
cried  Mrs.  Goodsell,  shaking  her  shawl-ends 
instead,  "an*  I  wouldn't  demean  myself  by 
stayin',  Mr.  Beebe, —  what  with  your  Pep- 
perses  an'  monkeys  an'  letters."  She  slammed 
the  door,  and  disdaining  the  flat  stone,  strode 
over  the  cobble-stones. 


THE  LETTER  463 

Davie,  to  whom  her  words  brought  a  mem- 
ory he  was  trying  to  put  in  the  background, 
sighed. 

"  Now  you're  gettin'  all  tired  out,"  said  Mrs. 
Beebe,  in  a  worried  way.  "  Don't  let  him 
work  any  more,  Pa." 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  not  tired,"  said  Davie,  raising 
his  flushed  face.  "  I  want  to  put  all  the  things 
back.  Do  let  me,  Mr.  Beebe,"  he  begged. 
He  longed  to  say  that  it  was  old  Mr.  King's 
letter  to  Mamsie  that  was  bothering  him. 
But  that  belonged  to  Mamsie. 

How  could  they  ever  let  Polly  go  from  the 
little  brown  house  to  visit  in  the  city!  Mam- 
sie had  written  "  No "  twice  before  to  Mr. 
King;  but  yesterday  after  reading  this  par- 
ticular letter,  Mother  Pepper  had  looked  very 
sober.  "  She  must  think  about  it,"  she  had 
told  the  children.  Think  about  it!  Davie 
didn't  imagine  that  it  needed  a  second  thought. 
They  couldn't  let  Polly  go!  even  if  Jasper  was 
sick,  and  the  doctor  said  ther6  must  be  some 
little  friend  invited  to  cheer  things  up.  Oh, 
no,  they  couldn't! 

When  the  shoes  and  rubbers  and  slippers 
were  all  neatly  put  back  in  their  respective 


464  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

boxes,  and  on  the  shelf  once  more,  old  Mrs. 
Beebe,  who  had  gone  off  into  the  kitchen,  came 
back  with  a  blue  plate  on  which  were  two 
doughnuts.  "  Now  while  Pa  is  a-mendin* 
your  shoe,  you  can  set  an*  eat  'em/'  she  said. 

Davie,  well  pleased,  curled  up  on  the  bench 
and  munched  the  sugary  things  slowly  to 
make  them  last.  He  wanted  to  ask  if  he 
couldn't  take  one  home  for  Phronsie,  but  then 
that  was  as  good  as  begging  one  —  for  old 
Mrs.  Beebe  would  trot  out  to  her  big  stone 
pot,  and  get  him  another.  So  he  watched  his 
shoe  having  the  finishing  touches  put  to  its  re- 
pairs, while  he  ate. 

"  Now  says  I,"  the  little  shoemaker  held  up 
the  completed  work,  as  David  swallowed  the 
last  crumb  of  the  doughnuts,  "  that  job  is  done 
as  good  as  th'  next  one,  if  I  do  say  it.  Now, 
Davie,  that  will  last  you  a  long  spell." 

"I  am  so  glad."  Davie  hopped  off  from 
the  bench,  and  sitting  down  on  the  floor,  he 
pulled  on  the  shoe  with  great  satisfaction. 

"That  string  ain't  very  strong,"  said  Mr. 
Beebe,  "I  guess  I  better  get  you  another." 
He  went  across  the  shop  and  pulled  out  a 
drawer. 


THE  LETTER  465 

Davie  stopped  trying  to  tie  the  shoestring. 
"  Mamsie  didn't  say  that  I  was  to  get  a  new 
string,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  you  ain't  goin'  to  buy  this/'  said  old 
Mr.  Beebe,  coming  back.  "  I'm  goin'  to  give 
it  to  you.  Give  me  the  shoe,  Davie,  and  we'll 
see  about  that  string." 

So  Davie  pulled  off  his  shoe,  and  old  Mr. 
Beebe  sat  down  and  pretty  soon  there  was  a 
brand-new  shoestring  in  it,  and  the  old  one 
lay  on  the  floor. 

"  I  think  th'  mate  to  that  string  is  pretty 
poor,"  said  the  little  old  shoemaker,  peering  at 
Davie's  other  foot  critically ;  "  give  me  that 
shoe,  Davie,"  and  when  it  was  in  his  hand,  he 
pulled  out  the  shoestring.  "  Yes,  it's  wore  in 
spots,"  he  declared. 

At  last  Davie  was  on  his  way  home. 
Didn't  the  shoes  feel  good  though ;  the  mended 
one  all  strong  and  just  as  ^;ood  as  ever,  and 
with  new  shoestrings,  too!  He  wanted  to 
dance  —  but  stopped  suddenly.  There  was 
Polly  —  was  she  going  away  for  a  visit  to  the 
city?  He  went  slowly  up  the  path  leading  to 
the  little  brown  house,  and  opened  the  green 
door.  There  were  Mamsie  and  the  others,  and 


466  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

David  knew  by  her  face  what  she  was  going 
to  say. 

"  Children,"  she  began,  "  you  know  how 
good  Jasper  has  been  to  us!  And  think  of 
Phronsie !  "  She  gathered  her  up  in  her  arms 
to  hold  her  tightly  to  her  breast,  and  her  voice 
broke.  "  What  can  we  ever  do  for  him !  " 

"But,  Mamsie,"  began  Ben,  "Polly— -we 
can't  —  "  He  couldn't  get  any  farther,  and 
his  head  went  down  to  hide  his  face  on  his 
knees. 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  going !  "  cried  Polly  passion- 
ately, a  little  red  spot  coming  on  either  cheek. 
"  You  needn't  think  of  it,  Ben,"  and  she  threw 
her  arms  around  his  shoulders  —  while  Joel 
roared,  "  She  isn't  going  —  she  isn't !  "  and  he 
ran  over  to  throw  his  arms  across  Polly's  — 
till  Ben  was  nearly  smothered.  David  longed 
to  add  himself  to  them,  and  he  started,  but 
catching  Mother  Pepper's  eye,  he  settled  back 
and  held  his  hands  tightly  together  in  dread 
of  what  was  coming,  for  Mrs.  Pepper  was 
speaking. 

"Don't  say  that,  Polly,"  she  said  reprov- 
ingly. "  You  must  think,  child,  before  you 
speak." 


THE  LETTER  467 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  to  think,  Mamsie!  "  cried 
Polly,  wildly,  and  deserting  Ben,  she  plunged 
over  to  Mrs.  Pepper's  chair  and  threw  herself 
on  her  knees.  "  Mamsie,  don't  make  me  go !  " 
she  begged,  burying  her  face  on  Phronsie's 
small  feet. 

"  I  never  should  make  you  go,  Polly,"  Mrs. 
Pepper  stroked  the  brown  hair.  "  Mother 
feels  badly  enough  to  think  of  your  going.  It 
must  be  as  you  say,  Polly." 

So  there  it  was  left.  And  every  now  and 
then  Polly  would  break  away  from  whatever 
she  was  doing,  even  if  setting  the  supper-table, 
and  rush  up  in  a  torrent  of  tears.  "  Oh,  I 
can't  go  —  Mamsie,  I  can't!"  And  then  she 
would  fly  back  to  her  work  to  creep  up  pres- 
ently with  "  Jasper  saved  Phronsie  for  us, 
Mamsie!" 

"  I  know,  Polly,"  Mother  Pepper  would  say 
softly,  and  Polly  would  know  that  all  Mam- 
sie's  objections  to  the  visit  had  not  only  flown 
away,  but  that  instead,  there  would  be  an  ap- 
proval of  it  if  Polly  should  decide  to  go. 

"  Now,  children,"  after  the  supper  dishes 
were  cleared  away,  and  everything  was  "  spick 
and  span  "  again,  and  Mother  Pepper  had  sat 


468  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

down  to  get  a  little  more  of  the  waning  light 
to  sew  by  before  the  evening  really  set  in,  "  I 
think/'  she  said,  "  you  better  have  that  day  in 
the  woods  to-morrow,  for  you  have  been  wait- 
ing for  it  so  long/' 

"  Mamsie/'  cried  Davie,  looking  up  at  his 
mother  with  shining  eyes,  "  can  we  really  go  to 
the  woods  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,  Davie/'  Mrs.  Pepper  smiled 
at  him.  "  Don't  scream  so,  Joel.  Yes,  you 
may  all  go  to-morrow."  She  looked  around 
for  Polly  —  who  had  drawn  off  in  a  corner 
with  Ben,  their  heads  together  and  filled  with 
sad  thoughts,  as  she  very  well  knew.  The  day 
in  the  woods  was  the  only  thing  she  could 
plan  by  which  she  might  divert  the  sadness,  at 
least  for  a  time. 

"  Mamsie,"  Davie  crowded  up  to  her  chair, 
"  can  we  stay  when  we  get  there  in  the  woods 
—  can  we?"  he  asked,  dreadfully  excited. 

"  Yes  indeed  —  a  whole  long  day  if  you 
want  to,"  said  Mother  Pepper  decidedly. 
"  Now  run  over  and  tell  Polly  and  Ben  how 
glad  you  are  about  it." 

"  And  can  we  carry  things  to  eat  ? "  de- 
manded Joel,  precipitating  himself  upon  her, 


THE  LETTER  469 

his  black  eyes  waiting  impatiently  for  her  an- 
swer. 

"Of  course,  you  can  take  your  dinner,"  and 
Mother  Pepper  laughed.  "Who  ever  heard 
of  spending  a  day  in  the  woods  without  any- 
thing to  eat!  And  I  expect  you'll  be  very 
hungry,  Joel/' 

"  I'm  hungry  now,"  said  Joel  reflectively. 

"  Oh,  Joey  —  you've  only  just  finished  your 
supper,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper.  At  his  words,  she 
began  to  sew  away  brisker  than  ever. 

"There  wasn't  half  enough,"  said  Joel, 
looking  over  his  shoulder  at  the  cleared  table 
set  up  against  the  wall.  "Why  isn't  there 
ever  any  more  to  eat,  Mamsie  ?  " 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  stitching 
fast.  "  Well,  now,  to-morrow  you  shall  have 
a  good  deal.  You  will  like  the  basket  I  shall 
pack  for  you,"  she  added  cheerily. 

"  What's  to  be  in  it  ?  "  cried  Joel,  smacking 
his  lips,  "  candy,  and  a  pie  ?  " 

"  O  dear  me !  Joe  —  not  those  things,"  said 
Mrs.  Pepper. 

"  Then  some  cake,"  said  Joel,  hanging  over 
her  knee,  so  that  his  small  elbows  dragged  her 
work  down. 


470  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  No  indeed,"  she  slipped  the  sewing  away, 
but  let  the  elbows  remain,  "  cake  isn't  the  best 
thing  for  children  to  eat  in  the  woods.  But, 
Joel,  just  think,  Mother  is  going  to  give  you 
some  nice  thick  slices  of  bread  and  —  butter." 

"  Not  butter  ?  "  cried  Joel,  quite  overcome. 

"  Yes,"  Mrs.  Pepper  nodded. 

"And  spread  it  thick,  do,  Mamsie,"  cried 
Joel,  dreadfully  excited,  "  as  thick  as  that." 
He  took  off  his  elbows  to  put  his  little  brown 
hands  a  good  distance  apart. 

Mrs.  Pepper  laughed.  "You  never  would 
relish  butter  again  if  you  had  it  as  thick  as 
that,  Joey,"  she  said.  "  Now  run  over  and  tell 
Ben  and  Polly  all  about  it." 

Her  work  fell  down  for  a  minute,  as  he 
dashed  off  —  and  a  shadow  swept  across  her 
face;  but  it  was  gone  as  quickly,  and  the 
needle  flew  all  the  faster. 

Joel  rushed  up  to  the  two  in  the  corner. 
"  We  are  going  to  have  butter  to-morrow,  Polly 
Pepper,"  he  announced. 

"  Nonsense ! "  exclaimed  Ben,  pulling  him- 
self out  of  his  gloom.  "  You've  been  dream- 
ing, Joe." 

"  I    haven't,    either,"    retorted   Joel    indig- 


THE  LETTER  471 

nantly.  "  Mamsie  said  so."  He  darted 
across  the  kitchen.  "Didn't  you,  Mamsie?" 
he  cried,  plunging  up  to  her  chair.  "  Ben  says 
I've  been  dreaming." 

"Didn't  I  do  what,  Joel?" 

"  Didn't  you  say  you  were  going  to  give  us 
butter  to-morrow  to  eat  in  the  woods  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  did,  Joey,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 
She  looked  over  his  head  and  nodded  to  the 
three  in  the  corner.  "  Come  over  here,  chil- 
dren. Wait  a  minute;  Phronsie." 

Phronsie,  who  had  been  undressing  Sera- 
phina  for  bed,  always  a  slow  process,  laid  the 
rag  doll  on  a  chair,  and  came  up  wonderingly 
to  her  mother's  knee. 

"  Now  it's  just  this  way,"  began  Mrs.  Pep- 
per, looking  at  them  all,  "  to-morrow  must  be 
the  very  happiest  day  of  the  whole  year.  And 
in  order  to  get  ready  for  it  and  make  it  happy 

—  why,   we  must  all  begin  to-night.     Now, 
Joel  and  Davie,  you'd  better  run  off  to  bed,  so 
that  you  can  hop  up  bright  and  early  in  the 
morning." 

"  I  don't  want  to,"  Joel  grumbled.  But  see- 
ing his  mother's  face,  he  finished,  "All  right 

—  come  on,  Dave."     Then  he  ran  back  when 


472  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

half-way  up  the  loft  stairs.     "  Please  spread 
it  thick,  Mamsie,"  he  begged. 

"  Come,  Phronsie,"  Polly  held  out  her  hand. 
She  tried  to  make  the  sad  little  smile  a  brighter 
one,  but  it  was  a  sorrowful  face,  after  all,  that 
she  carried  off. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  cried  Phronsie,  in  distress. 
"  My  child  hasn't  her  nightie  on,"  and  she  ran 
back  to  the  chair  where  Seraph ina  waited  to 
be  gotten  ready  for  bed. 

"  I'll  help  you,"  said  Polly,  "  for  you  must 
get  into  your  own  nightie.  There,  you  run 
back  and  kiss  Mamsie,  and  I'll  get  Seraphina 
ready." 

So  Phronsie,  well  pleased  to  be  cuddled  by 
Mamsie,  ran  back  and  scrambled  into  Mother 
Pepper's  lap. 

"  Be  a  good  girl,  Phronsie,  and  don't  trouble 
Polly,  but  hop  right  into  bed,"  said  Mrs.  Pep- 
per. 

"  I'll  be  a  good  girl,"  cooed  Phronsie,  her 
lips  against  Mother  Pepper's  neck.  Then  she 
slid  off  from  Mamsie's  lap,  and  was  soon  fast 
asleep  in  the  trundle-bed,  Seraphina  huddled 
up  in  her  arms. 


THE  LETTER  473 

And  Polly,  down  on  her  knees  by  the  big  old 
bed,  her  head  on  the  gay  patchwork  quilt,  was 
saying,  "  I'll  go." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
WORKING  HARD  TO  KEEP  CHEERY 

PARSON  HENDERSON  walked  slowly 

•*•  between  the  hollyhocks,  his  hands  folded 
behind  his  back.  His  wife  hurried  down  the 
narrow  path  to  join  him. 

"Oh,"  she  said  breathlessly,  "we  are  all 
going  to  feel  dreadfully  when  Polly  has  really 
gone." 

"We  mustn't  think  of  ourselves,"  said  the 
parson.  "  Poor  Mrs.  Pepper !  "  and  he  sighed. 

"  I  know  it,  and  yet  you  did  right  to  advise 
her  to  let  Polly  go,"  Mrs.  Henderson  peered 
anxiously  up  into  his  face. 

"  I'm  not  a  bit  sorry  that  I  did  so  advise," 
declared  Parson  Henderson  firmly.  "  Almira, 
it  is  a  clear  case  of  the  working  of  Providence 
for  that  girl  to  have  the  chance."  He  stopped 
short  on  the  garden  path. 

"  I  know  it,"  cried  his  wife  gleefully,  "  think 
of  the  music!  Oh,  Adoniram,  how  Polly  has 
longed  for  a  chance  to  learn  to  play." 

474 


WORKING  HARD  475 

She  clasped  her  hands  and  the  smile  ran  up 
to  capture  the  anxiety  in  her  face. 

"  I  do  think.  I  think  of  all  the  good  that 
will  come  of  the  visit/'  The  parson  began  his 
walk  once  more,  this  time  with  a  stride.  Mrs. 
Henderson  trotted  by  his  side,  trying  to  keep 
up  with  him. 

"  Don't  go  so  fast,  husband,"  she  begged. 

"  Yes,"  as  he  slackened  his  pace,  "  and  an- 
other thing.  We  ought  to  consider  how  much 
the  Peppers  are  indebted  to  Jasper.  If  it 
hadn't  been  for  him  —  just  think."  She  ran 
her  hand  within  his  arm. 

"  That's  the  reason  I  was  able  to  persuade 
Mrs.  Pepper  to  let  Polly  go,"  cried  Mr.  Hen- 
derson. "  She  put  aside  everything  else,  when 
she  saw  that  she  could  do  this  for  the  boy." 

"Yes  — yes.  Oh,  I'm  so  glad.  But,  O 
dear,"  she  couldn't  for  the  life  of  her  keep 
from  adding,  "  those  children  —  can  you 
imagine  what  they  are  going  to  do  without 
Polly!" 

The  parson's  face  fell  gloomily. 

"  There's  Ben, —  it  will  come  desperately 
hard  on  him,"  he  said. 

"  Ben  will  make  up  his  mind  to  bear  it  —  he 


476  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

is  the  oldest  —  and  he  is  such  a  strong  boy," 
said  Mrs.  Henderson  quickly.  "  The  one  I 
am  worrying  about  the  most  is  Davie." 

"  Poor  Davie  will  take  it  pretty  hard,  I  am 
afraid." 

"  And  he  will  keep  it  all  in  on  account  of 
Mrs.  Pepper,  and  it  will  wear  on  him  terribly. 
O  dear  me !  "  Mrs.  Henderson  now  looked  so 
very  miserable  that  her  husband  lost  thought 
of  the  Peppers  and  turned  to  comfort  her. 

"  See  here,  Almira,"  he  cried,  "  we  are  act- 
ing badly,  both  of  us.  What  sort  of  example, 
pray  tell,  are  we  to  the  little-brown-house  peo- 
ple. We've  simply  got  to  cheer  up." 

"  So  I  will,"  cried  his  wife,  trying  to  smile ; 
"  I'm  ashamed  of  myself.  And  now  that 
Polly  is  really  going,  I  mustn't  stay  here  talk- 
ing any  longer,  when  I  could  help  to  get  her 
ready.  There's  that  old  brown  merino  dress 
of  mine;  it's  been  up  in  the  attic  for  I  don't 
know  how  long,  I  shall  make  it  over  for  her." 
She  drew  her  hand  away  from  his  arm  and 
ran  down  the  path  ahead  of  him.  "  I've  a  fine 
chance  to  get  the  pattern  of  Polly's  calico 
gown,  now  that  the  children  are  all  away  in 
the  woods  to-day." 


WORKING  HARD  477 

"  The  children  all  away  in  the  woods!  "  re- 
peated the  parson  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  Mrs.  Pepper  told  me  yesterday  that 
she  was  going  to  let  them  have  that  treat. 
Polly  has  been  wanting  it  so  long.  And  it 
would  help  to  cheer  things  up.  Oh,  I  am  so 
glad  I  took  over  that  little  pat  of  butter.  O 
dear !  "  for  a  sudden  turn  in  the  path,  and  there 
was  Miss  Jerusha,  a  scowl  on  her  face. 

"Of  all  things  on  this  earth,"  she  exclaimed, 
lifting  her  long  hands,  "  the  silliest  is  to  send 
that  Pepper  girl  to  the  City." 

"  Don't  let  us  talk  about  it,  Jerusha,"  said 
the  parson's  wife,  trying  to  get  by. 

"  Talk  about  it !  It's  time  for  some  one  to 
talk."  Miss  Jerusha^s  angular  figure  success- 
fully blocked  the  way.  "  Such  goings  on ! 
Adoniram,"  as  her  brother  came  up,  "  what  on 
earth  did  you  put  such  a  notion  into  that  girl's 
head  for!  The  idea  of  her  going  into  those 
rich  folks'  house!  She'll  be  snubbed  to  death 
—  that's  one  comfort,"  and  Miss  Jerusha  gave 
an  unpleasant  little  cackle. 

"  Polly  Pepper  will  never  be  snubbed,  Jer- 
usha," declared  the  parson  decidedly.  "  On 
the  contrary  —  " 


478  OUR  DA  VIE  PEPPER 

Miss  Jerusha  interrupted  him,  "  We'll  see," 
she  cried,  the  cackle  becoming  a  shrill  laugh. 
Mrs.  Henderson  stepped  off  into  the  grass, 
and  hurried  up  into  the  attic,  leaving  the  par- 
son to  get  away  as  best  he  could. 

And  now  all  Badgertown  knew  that  Polly 
Pepper  was  going  to  the  City  on  a  visit  to  Mr. 
King's  house. 

Mr.  Atkins  took  down  a  roll  of  gingham 
from  his  shelf  of  dry  goods.  "  I'll  give  her 
enough  for  two  dresses,"  he  said.  "  Land  o' 
Goshen!  she  needs  somethin'  to  help  her  out. 
I  wouldn't  be  in  th'  same  house  with  that  old 
Mr.  King  for  a  hundred  dollars, —  no,  not  by 
a  long  shot." 

And  the  little  shoemaker  called  Davie  in  one 
day,  as  he  was  running  by.  "  You  tell  Polly 
that  I've  got  a  splendid  pair  o'  shoes  waiting 
for  her,"  and  then  he  turned  to  old  Mrs.  Beebe. 
"  She'll  set  by  those  shoes  when  she's  in  th' 
City,"  he  said  complacently,  "an*  goes  a- 
walkin'  with  Mr.  King." 

And  Mrs.  Beebe  shuddered  again,  and  said, 
"  I  can't  never  imagine  her  walkin'  with  him, 
Pa." 

And  then  one  day  Mr.  Tisbett  drove  his 


WORKING  HARD  479 

stage  up  with  a  great  flourish  to  the  little 
brown  house  and  Polly's  hair  trunk  was 
strapped  on  —  and  she  was  almost  off  —  when 
out  she  sprang. 

"  I  can't  go !  "  she  cried,  "  oh,  I  can't !  "  and 
dashing  between  them  all,  she  flew  back 
through  the  kitchen  to  throw  herself  down  in  a 
torrent  of  tears  by  Mamsie's  bed. 

No  one  quite  knew  how  they  got  her  back 
again  —  but  the  stage  at  last,  with  Polly  in- 
side, rolled  off,  and  Mother  Pepper  and  the 
four  little  Peppers  went  into  the  little  brown 
house  and  shut  the  green  door. 

Davie  ran  as  fast  as  he  could,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  not  wanting  Joel,  his  mind  in- 
tent on  reaching  the  spot  where  the  day  in  the 
woods  had  been  spent.  There,  under  a  clump 
of  oaks  on  a  little  mossy  bank,  were  bits  of 
leaves  and  flowers,  the  remains  of  the  wreath 
Polly  had  made  to  carry  home  to  Mother. 
When  David  saw  them,  he  threw  himself  down 
and  buried  his  face,  in  an  agony  of  tears.  "  I 
want  Polly ! "  he  cried. 

A  little  bird  hopped  along  the  branch  over 
his  head  to  turn  a  sharp  eye  down  at  him.  The 
sun  shone,  and  he  had  eaten  several  worms  and 


480  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

was  perfectly  comfortable.  What  any  one 
could  cry  about,  he  couldn't  understand.  For 
his  part,  he  felt  much  more  like  singing.  And 
accordingly  he  did,  and  such  a  lively  air,  all 
trills  and  high  notes,  as  quite  astonished  him- 
self. But  that  only  made  Da  vie  cry  worse,  for 
it  brought  back  the  story  that  Polly  had  told 
them  as  they  all  sat  around  her  while  she  made 
the  wreath,  of  a  little  bird  —  why,  it  must 
have  been  that  very  one  now  singing  over  his 
head. 

So  of  course  the  little  bird,  very  much  hurt 
in  his  feelings,  at  last  stopped  his  song  and 
flew  away.  And  the  wood  became  quite  still. 

All  of  a  sudden,  a  whoop  and  a  shout  —  and 
a  boy's  feet  came  tearing  through  the  bushes, 
and  between  the  trees. 

"Joel!"  gasped  David  to  himself.  There 
was  no  time  to  run,  and  besides  Joel  would  see 
him.  The  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  bur- 
row deeper  in  the  mossy  bank. 

"  You  ran  away,"  cried  Joel,  in  great  dis- 
pleasure, and  precipitating  himself  on  him. 

David  couldn't  very  well  say  he  hadn't,  so  he 
said  nothing. 

"  And  it  was  mean  of  you,"  cried  Joel  wrath- 


WORKING  HARD  481 

fully,  and  rolling  him  over  to  stare  into  his 
face.  "  Oh  —  oh  —  you've  been  crying !  " 

"Let  me  alone/'  cried  David  crossly,  and 
twitching  away,  he  rolled  back  again.  "  Go 
right  home,  and  let  me  alone." 

"  You  ran  away/'  Joel  repeated  loudly,  so 
astounded  at  such  a  reception,  that  all  he  could 
do  was  to  repeat  it  again,  "you  ran  away/' 
This  time  his  round  face  became  very  sober  — 
and  in  a  minute  down  he  went  flat  on  his  face 
by  David's  side. 

Davie  by  this  time  was  quite  gone  in  misery, 
and  he  burst  out,  "  I  want  Polly !  " 

Joel  didn't  say  anything  as  Davie  cried  on. 
And  everything  was  so  still  that  Davie  forgot 
that  he  was  there — imtil  a  queer  little  rustle 
made  him  poke  up  his  head.  Joel  was  stuffing 
the  end  of  his  calico  blouse  into  his  mouth  and 
making  frantic  efforts  to  hold  back  his  sobs. 
It  was  now  David's  turn  to  precipitate  himself 
on  Joel. 

"  I  want  Polly/'  came  in  gusts  from  Joel, 
and  he  rolled  over  and  over  trying  to  stop. 

"  Oh,  don't,  Joel,"  begged  Davie,  very  much 
frightened. 

"  I  want  her,"  screamed  Joel,  "  and  I'm  go- 


482  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

ing  right  straight  after  her  to  Mr.  King's  house 
to  bring  her  home."  With  that  he  hopped  to 
his  feet.  His  face  was  dreadfully  red,  but  he 
had  stopped  crying.  "  They  sha'n't  keep  her 
there,"  he  declared,  and  his  black  eyes  flashed 
defiantly. 

"  Oh,  Joel,  you  wouldn't  do  that!  "  David, 
in  his  terror,  gripped  Joel's  sleeve. 

"  I  would,  too,"  declared  Joel  stoutly.  "  I 
shall  start  this  minute,"  and  he  tore  himself 
free,  and  darted  down  the  mossy  bank. 

David,  without  stopping  to  think  of  the  im- 
possibility of  such  a  plan  ever  coming  to  com- 
pletion, dashed  after  him,  screaming,  "  Don't, 
Joel,"  with  all  his  might,  and  catching  his  foot 
in  a  rambling  vine,  over  he  pitched  headlong 
down  a  steep  descent  in  the  bank. 

Joel  heard  him  go,  and  rushing  back  to 
scramble  down  after  him,  he  found  David  pick- 
ing himself  up  from  a  heap  of  dried  leaves. 

"  I'm  not  hurt,"  he  said. 

Joel,  who  had  been  shaking  with  terror,  now 
laughed  till  his  little  white  teeth  shone. 
"  They're  all  in  your  hair,  Dave,"  he  said. 
"  I'll  get  'em  out,"  pawing  the  soft  light  waves, 
in  which  the  little  dried  wisps  were  sticking. 


WORKING  HARD  483 

"  You  won't  tell  Mamsie  I  cried/'  said  Davie, 
looking  up  anxiously. 

"  I  don't  know/'  said  Joel.  Then  he  stopped 
picking  the  leaves  out  of  the  soft  hair.  "  If 
you  won't  tell  her  that  I  did,"  he  began. 

"Oh,  I  won't  —  I  won't,"  promised  David 
eagerly,  "  not  a  single  bit  of  it,  Joel." 

"  We  both  cried,  and  we  both  won't  tell," 
decided  Joel  in  a  matter-of-fact  way. 

"And  Mamsie  will  worry  if  we  don't  get 
home,"  said  Davie,  "  and  we  mustn't  want 
Polly  to  come  back."  He  twisted  his  small 
hands  together,  as  he  regarded  Joel  nervously. 

"  But  I  do  want  Polly  to  come  back,"  de- 
clared Joel  obstinately,  shaking  his  head. 

"  It  will  make  Mamsie  sick."  Davie  could 
think  of  nothing  better  to  say,  so  he  repeated  it 
in  a  despairing  voice,  "  It  will  make  Mamsie 
sick." 

Joel  scuffed  the  heap  of  dry  leaves  with  his 
rusty  little  shoes  —  then  he  blurted  out.  "  I 
don't  want  my  Mamsie  to  be  sick,"  he  said 
slowly. 

"Then  you  won't  go  after  Polly  to  bring 
her  back?"  David  didn't  dare  to  breathe,  as 
he  asked  it,  but  hung  on  Joel's  answer. 


484  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  No,"  said  Joel  magnificently,  "  she  can 
stay." 

Times  were  pretty  hard  in  the  little  brown 
house  about  these  days,  and  Mother  Pepper 
had  all  she  could  do  to  have  it  look  as  if  any 
ray  of  sunshine  had  ever  hopped  in.  If  the 
work  hadn't  pressed  so,  it  would  have  been 
much  worse.  But  night  after  night  the  three 
boys  dragged  themselves  up  to  bed  in  the  loft, 
too  tired  to  do  anything  but  tumble  on  to  the 
shakedowns  and  get  ready  for  the  next  day. 
For  there  was  all  Polly's  work  to  do,  and  as 
much  of  it  as  they  could  accomplish  to  save 
Mother  was  eagerly  sought  by  them  all. 

And  Phronsie,  lost  to  everything  but  that 
Polly  was  gone,  refused  to  be  comforted,  and 
hung  around  her  mother's  chair,  or  mourned 
for  Polly  when  Mrs.  Pepper  went  down  to  the 
store,  or  was  away  to  help  Mrs.  Blodgett. 

David,  who  took  upon  himself  the  task  of 
amusing  her,  was  almost  in  despair.  He  had 
given  up  going  to  help  Mr.  Atkins  in  his  store 
to  stay  at  home  and  take  care  of  her.  He  even 
tried  to  tell  stories,  and  racked  his  brain  to 
think  how  Polly  would  relate  one.  But  he 


WORKING  HARD  485 

couldn't  make  any  headway  in  'getting  her  to 
stop  crying,  "  I  want  Polly." 

At  last  one  day  Grandma  Bascom  waddled 
in. 

"  O  me  —  O  my !  "  she  exclaimed,  sitting 
heavily  down  on  the  first  chair.  There  sat 
Phronsie  on  the  floor,  the  very  picture  of  woe, 
and  crying  into  her  pinafore.  David  was 
squatting  in  front  of  her,  frantically  trying  to 
draw  a  picture  on  his  slate  and  explain  it  by  a 
story. 

Phronsie  got  up  and  went  over  to  Grandma's 
chair. 

"  I  want  Polly,"  she  said,  the  tears  trailing 
down  her  little  cheeks. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Grandma,  who  seemed 
to  understand,  even  if  she  couldn't  hear  very 
well,  and  patting  her  yellow  hair.  "  Oh,  you 
poor  creeter,  you !  "  she  said  to  Davie. 

"  She  doesn't  like  my  stories,"  said  Davie, 
getting  up  from  the  floor,  his  cheeks  very  much 
flushed.  He  came  over  and  put  his  mouth  close 
to  Grandma's  cap.  "  And  I  can't  tell  any  good 
ones.1' 

"Well,"    said    Grandma,    "that's    because 


486  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

she's  heard  Polly's  stories.  Ef  I  was  you,  I 
wouldn't  try  to  tell  'em." 

"  What  can  I  do  ?  "  cried  Davie  in  despair. 
The  flush  died  off,  leaving  his  cheeks  quite 
white,  and  he  twisted  his  small  hands  in  dis- 
tress. 

Grandma  Bascom  gave  him  a  keen  look, 
then  bobbed  her  cap  wisely  till  the  frill  quiv- 
ered. "  Now,  Phronsie,"  she  said,  "  you  must 
take  care  of  Davie.  He'll  be  sick  if  you 
don't." 

"  Oh,  Grandma/'  exclaimed  David,  quite 
horrified  at  such  a  turn  of  affairs,  "  I'm  not 
sick."  He  tried  to  shout  it  into  her  ear,  but 
she  kept  on,  "  Davie  will  be  sick  ef  you  don't 
take  care  of  him,  Phronsie." 

"I'll  take  care  of  Davie,"  said  Phronsie, 
wiping  away  the  last  tear  on  her  pinafore, 
"  and  I  shall  put  him  to  bed,  so  that  he  won't 
be  sick." 

"  That's  my  good  little  lamb,"  said  Grand- 
ma, her  cap- frill  bobbing  worse  than  ever. 
"  Now,  Davie,  you  go  an'  curl  on  your  ma's 
bed,  an'  —  " 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  cried  Davie.  "  Why,  I'm  a 
big  boy,  and  I  don't  want  to  go  to  bed  in  the 


WORKING  HARD  487 

day-time."  He  was  in  such  distress  over  the 
idea  that  his  voice  was  very  sharp,  and  Grand- 
ma heard  every  word. 

"  You  ain't  as  big  as  the  parson,"  said 
Grandma  coolly,  "  an'  Mis  Henderson  said  she 
put  him  to  bed  last  week  right  in  the  middle  o' 
th'  day."  It  was  a  long  speech  for  Grandma 
to  make,  and  she  wheezed  so  at  the  end  that 
Davie  forgot  everything  else  and  ran  and  got 
her  a  cup  of  water. 

"An*  I'm  goin'  to  stay  here  a  spell,  an* 
Phronsie  must  set  by  th'  bed  an'  watch  you," 
beginning  again  when  she  got  her  breath,  and 
the  cup  was  taken  back. 

Phronsie,  feeling  very  important  that  she 
was  to  take  care  of  David  and  keep  him  from 
being  sick,  now  clamored  for  him  to  get  on 
Mamsie's  bed,  and  let  her  tuck  him  up.  And 
nothing  would  do  but  that  she  should  take  his 
hand  and  lead  him  off  to  the  bedroom. 

Grandma  chuckled  to  see  them  go.  It  pres- 
ently became  so  still  in  the  old  kitchen  that  she 
dozed  in  her  chair,  waking  up  with  a  start. 

"  I  declare  ef  I  haven't  lost  myself  jest  for  a 
minute,"  she  said.  "  Now  I'll  see  how  them 
blessed  childern  is  gettin'  along." 


488  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

She  opened  the  bedroom  door  softly  and 
peeped  in.  Davie,  with  the  patchwork  quilt 
drawn  up  to  his  chin  just  as  Phronsie  had 
tucked  him  in,  and  with  one  arm  thrown  over 
his  head,  was  sleeping  as  he  hadn't  been  able  to 
do  since  Polly  went  away.  And  Phronsie, 
curled  up  on  the  floor,  her  yellow  head  on  the 
old  braided  rug,  was  dreaming  that  she  was 
watching  Davie  and  keeping  him  from  getting 
sick. 

Ben  and  Joel  found  them  so,  when  they 
came  home  from  Deacon  Blodgett's  where  they 
had  been  piling  wood.  Joel  rushed  past 
Grandma  Bascom  like  a  whirlwind.  "Sh!" 
she  said,  raising  her  hand.  Too  late!  Into 
the  bedroom  flew  Joel  waving  something  over 
his  head.  " Hoh!  in  bed!"  he  cried.  "Get 
up,  Dave ! " 

"  Look  out ! "  cried  Ben,  "  you  almost 
stepped  on  Phronsie !  "  and  he  picked  her  up, 
as  Joel  jumped  on  the  bed. 

"  It's  for  you/'  he  cried,  shaking  the  arm 
thrown  over  Davie's  head.  Then  the  old 
patchwork  quilt  was  twitched  down,  and  some- 
thing white  was  thrust  in  its  place. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Davie,  his  blue  eyes 


WORKING  HARD  489 

dewy  with  sleep,  and  he  rolled  over  to  show 
very  pink  cheeks. 

"  A  letter  from  Polly,"  cried  Joel,  waving  it 
impatiently. 

Davie  flew  up  to  sit  in  the  middle  of  the 
bed.  "  Oh ! "  he  cried  hungrily,  "  a  letter  from 
Polly!" 

"  Yes  —  yes,  and  it's  for  you,"  screamed 
Joel,  sticking  it  into  his  hand. 

Davie  threw  off  the  patchwork  quilt  and, 
tumbling  off  the  bed,  ran  out  into  the  kitchen. 
"  A  letter  from  Polly  —  and  it's  for  me !  "  he 
shouted. 

Just  then  the  door  opened  and  Mother  Pep- 
per came  in  to  meet  Ben  coming  out  from  the 
bedroom  with  Phronsie  on  his  shoulder.  She 
kept  saying,  "  I  watched  Davie  all  the  while  — 
I  did." 

It  took  Davie  so  long  to  open  the  letter  with 
trembling  fingers,  that  Joel  impatiently  kept 
crying,  "  Do  hurry,  Dave ! "  beating  on  the 
table  for  emphasis. 

"  Hush,  Joe,"  cried  Ben,  "  we  couldn't  hear 
the  letter  if  it  were  open,  you  make  such  a 


noise." 


I'll  stop  when  he  opens  it,"  said  Joel. 


490  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  Oh,  do  hurry,  Dave !  "  and  he  ran  across  the 
kitchen  with  Mamsie's  big  bread-knife.  But 
Davie  already  had  the  letter  out  of  its  en- 
velope, and  spread  in  his  hand. 

They  all  held  their  breath  to  catch  every 
word,  and  Grandma  Bascom  put  her  hand  be- 
hind her  best  ear,  and  Davie  began : 

"  DEAR  DAVIE  : 

"  I  just  wish  I  could  hop  into  the  little  brown 
house  and — (O  dear  me!  I  wrote  that 
crooked)  see  you  all.  To-morrow  I'm  going 
to  write  to  Joel." 

"Hooray!"  screamed  Joel.  He  rushed  up 
to  Grandma  and  shouted  in  her  ear,  "  Polly's 
going  to  write  to  me  to-morrow !  " 

"  Come  back/*  cried  Ben,  "  if  you  want  to 
hear  the  rest.  Go  on,  Dave." 

"  Wait  for  me,"  roared  Joel,  skipping  back. 
"Have  you  read  any  more,  Dave?"  he  cried 
anxiously. 

"No,"  said  Davie,  "I  haven't  read  a  bit 


more." 


"  Well,  I  want  to  tell  you  how  kind  dear 
Mr.  King  is.  (He  wants  me  to  call  him 
Grandpapa.)  He  has  a  music  teacher  for  me 


THEY  ALL  HELD  THEIR  BREATH  TO  CATCH  EVERY  WORD,  AND   DAVIB 
BEGAN.— Page  490. 


WORKING  HARD  491 

Just  think,  I'm  really  going  to  learn  to  play 
on  the  piano  —  really  and  truly!  Oh,  Davie, 
I  was  almost  afraid  to  touch  the  piano,  it  is  so 
magnifesent  (I  haven't  spelled  that  right  I 
know)  but  Grandpapa  said  I  must  not  feel 
that  way,  so  I  don't  now,  for  of  course  if  I 
were  afraid  of  the  piano,  I  never  could  learn 
to  play. 

"  And  oh  —  little  Dick  is  too  cunning  for 
anything.  Phronsie  would  like  to  play  with 
him." 

"  I  should,"  said  Phronsie,  smoothing  down 
her  pinafore,  "  very  much  indeed." 

"  Oh,  and  Prince,  this  morning,  when  Jasper 
asked  him  if  he  didn't  want  to  send  his  love 
to  Phronsie,  said  just  as  plain  as  could  be, 
'Bark  —  Bark!' 

Phronsie  screamed  so  with  delight  that  it 
was  some  time  before  Davie  could  go  on. 

"  And  now  you  must  write  to  me,  Davie, 
and  tell  Phronsie  to  write  to  me,  too,  all  by 
her  own  self.  And,  oh,  tell  Mamsie  I  mended 
my  stockings  last  week  'cause  two  big  holes 
came.  I  must  save  some  room  for  Jasper 
wants  to  write. 


492  OUR  DAVIE  PEPPER 

"  POLLY,  with  love  to  all  in  the  little  brown 
house." 

"DEAR  DAVE: 

"  You  must  write  to  Polly,  all  of  you,  be- 
cause I  want  her  to  like  it  here,  and  she  won't 
unless  she  hears  often  from  the  little  brown 
house. 

"  Polly  just  practises  every  chance  she  can 
get.  The  music  teacher  says  she  is  the  best  — 
Polly  is  stopping  me,  so  I  can't  tell  the  rest. 

"  JASPER." 

Davie  stood  quite  still,  not  minding  when 
Joel  twitched  the  letter  out  of  his  hand,  then  he 
marched  straight  up  to  Grandma  and  said 
under  her  cap- frill, 

"  Now  I  know  what  Phronsie  would  like  to 
do, —  write  a  letter  to  Polly  every  day." 

Then  he  flew  over  to  Mother  Pepper. 
"  You  don't  need  to  take  care  of  Phronsie,  I'm 
going  to  do  it  every  single  day,  Mamsie,  all  by 
myself,"  he  said,  his  blue  eyes  shining. 


THE   END 


THE 

FAMOUS      PEPPER      BOOKS 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY 

IN          ORDER         OF          PUBLICATION 

Cloth        iamo        Illustrated 

Five  Little  Peppers  and  How  they  Grew. 

This  was  an  instantaneous  success ;  it  has  become  a  genuine  child  classic. 

Five  Little  Peppers  Midway. 
"A  perfect  Cheeryble  of  a  book." — Boston  Herald. 

Five  Little  Peppers  Grown  Up. 

This  shows  the  Five  Little  Peppers  as  "grown  up,"  with  all  the 
struggles  and  successes  of  young  manhood  and  womanhood. 

Phronsie  Pepper. 

It  is  the  story  of  Phronsie,  the  youngest  and  dearest  of  all  the  Peppers. 

The  Stories  Polly  Pepper  Told. 

Wherever  there  exists  a  child  or  a  "grown-up,"  there  will  be  a  welcome 
for  these  charming  and  delightful  "Stories  Polly  Pepper  told." 

The  Adventures  of  Joel  Pepper. 

As  bright  and  just  as  certain  to  be  a  child's  favorite  as  the  others  in  the 
famous  series.  Harum-scarum  "Joey"  is  lovable. 

Five  Little  Peppers  Abroad. 

The  Peppers  are  just  as  original  and  delightful  over  the  ocean  as  in  their 
own  home. 

Five  Little  Peppers  at  School. 

Of  all  the  fascinating  adventures  and  experiences  of  the  "Peppers,"  none 
will  surpass  those  contained  in  this  volume. 

Five  Little  Peppers  and  Their  Friends. 

The  Peppers  loved  their  friends  very  dearly.  They  were  loyal  and  true 
to  them,  and  the  circle  constantly  widened. 

Ben  Pepper. 

This  centres  about  Ben,  "The  quiet,  steady-as-a-rock  boy,"  while  the  rest 
of  the  Peppers  help  to  make  it  as  bright  as  its  predecessors. 

Five  Little  Peppers  in  the  Little  Brown  House. 

Here  they  all  are,  Ben,  Polly,  Joel,  Phronsie,  and  David,  in  the  loved 
"Little  Brown  House,"  with  such  happenings  crowding  one  upon  the  other 
as  all  children  delightedly  follow,  and  their  elders  find  no  less  interesting. 

Our  Davie  Pepper. 

The  boys  and  girls  who  have  loved  Davie  in  the  other  volumes  will  rejoice 
that  now  Our  Davie  has  a  book  all  his  own. 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  BOSTON 


A  Little  Maid  of  Boston  Town 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY 

12mo    Cloth    Illustrated  by  F.  T.  MERRILL 


MARGAMT  SIWOET 


opening  chapters  introduce  us  to 
*  old  Boston  in  England.  Margaret 
Sidney  went  there  in  1907  and  absorbed 
the  atmosphere  of  Cotton  Mather's  "  St. 
Botolph's  Town,"  gathering  for  herself 
facts  and  traditions.  Then  "St.  Botolph's 
Town  "  yields  its  scenic  effects,  and  the 
setting  of  the  story  is  changed  to  Boston 
Town  of  New  England. 

The  story  is  absorbing,  graphic,  and 
truly  delightful,  carrying  one  along  till  it 
seems  as  if  actual  participation  in  the 
events  had  been  the  lot  of  the  reader.  The  same  naturalness 
that  is  so  conspicuous  iii  her  famous  * Pepper  Books'-  marks 
this  latest  story  of  Margaret  Sidney's.  She  makes  character? 
live  and  speak  for  themselves. 

It  is  an  inspiring,  patriotic  story  for  the  young,  and  contains  striking 
*nd  realistic  pictures  of  the  times  with  which  it  deals.— Sunday  Schod* 
Magazine,  Nashville. 

The  author  presents  a  story,  but  she  gives  a  veracious  picture  r  con- 
ditions in  the  town  of  Boston  during  the  Revolution.  Parents  wno  are 
seeking  wholesome  books  can  place  this  in  the  front  rank  with  entire 
safety  .—Boston  Globe. 

Surely  Margaret  Sidney  deserves  the  gratitude  of  n  any  a  child,  and 
grown-ups,  too,  for  that  matter,  in  telling  in  so  charming,  yet,  withal,  so 
simple  a  manner,  of  these  early  days  in  this  country. — llttta  Observer. 

A  really  thrilling  tale  of  the  American  Revolution.  Interesting  fox 
both  old  and  young. — Minneapolis  Journal. 

9*9f  sml9  by  a/I  txtakteller*  or  tent  postpaid  on  ncetpt  Of 
price  fcv  the  publisher* 

LOTHROP    LEE  &  SHEPARft  CO,, 


THE  JUDGES*  CAVE 

A  Jbawiet  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  in  the  D*yt 
of  the  Regicides 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY 

1 2  mo.      Cloth.      Illustrated. 

There  are  few  more  fascinating  phases  of  colonial  history  than  that 
which  tells  the  wanderings  and  adventures  of  the  two  judges  who, 
because  they  rat  in  judgment  over  that  royal  criminal,  Charles  the 
First  of  England,  were  hunted  out  of  England  into  hiding  in  New 
England,  and  there  remained,  a  mystery  and  fugitives,  in  their  cele- 
brated cave  m  New  Haven  Colony.  Marcia,  the  heroine,  is  a  strong 
and  delightful  character,  and  the  book  easily  takes  high  rank  among 
the  most  effective  and  absorbing  stories  based  upon  a  dramatic  phase 
of  American  history. 


THE  LITTLE  MAID  OF  CONCORD  TOWN 

4  Romana  of  the  American  Revolution 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY 
tsmot  doth.     Illustrated  by  F.  T.  Merrfli 


A  delightful  revolutionary  romance  of  fife,  lore,  and  adventure  in 
old  Concord.  The  author  knows  the  interesting  town  thoroughly 

Debby  Parlin,  the  hero'.ne,  lived  in  a  little  house  on  the  Lexington 
Road,  still  standing,  and  was  surrounded  by  all  the  stir  and  excitement 
of  the  months  of  preparation  and  the  dap  of  action  at  the  beginning 
of  our  struggle  for  freedom. 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Ca,  Boston 


SALLY, 
MRS.  TUBES 


An  amusing  and  sympathetic  study  of  a  New  England 
woman  of  humble  station,  but  noble  character. 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY,  author  of  the  Famous  "  Pepper  " 
books,  etc* 


CHICAGO  RECORD-HERALD  says: 

What  can  be  said  is,  that  those  who  have  read  "  Mrs.  Wiggs  " 
will  purchase  "  Sally,  Mrs.  Tubbs."  The  author  of  this  pleasant 
story,  who  is  Margaret  Sidney  of  the  "  Pepper  "  books  renown, 
has  rightly  dedicated  this  tale  for  grown-ups  to  "  all  who  love 
simplicity,  truth,  and  cheerfulness."  These  virtues  characterize 
Sally  Plunkett,  whose  soul-devouring  ambition  was  "  to  have 
'Bijah  Tubbs  fer  life." 

As  a  chapter  out  of  human  life  "  Sally,  Mrs.  Tubbs  "  is,  per- 
haps, as  good  as  "  Mrs.  Wiggs."  Regarded  artistically,  it  shows 
the  workmanship  of  a  more  practised  hand ;  it  has  a  plot,  and 
this  plot  pleasantly  complicated,  and  thus  differs  from  its  next 
of  kin.  We  judge  that  Sally  and  her  'Bijah,  who,  though  little, 
is  "  sizable  "  enough  to  meet  her  wants,  will  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  those  who  like  a  book  that  is  not  over-intellectualized 
nor  yet  lacking  in  soundness  of  heart  and  penetrating  vision 
into  human  nature.  "  Sally,  Mrs.  Tubbs  "  will  furnish  a  hearty 
laugh  and  a  quickened  sensibility. 

BOSTON  TRANSCRIPT  says: 

As  a  brief  character-sketch,  "  Sally,  Mrs.  Tubbs  "  deserves  no 
little  praise  for  its  geniality  and  its  humor. 

BOSTON  HERALD  says : 

This  short  story  of  180  pages  is  captivating  from  start  to  finish, 
and  the  masculine  reader  takes  off  his  hat,  and  the  feminine 
reader  courtesies,  to  this  matron  of  the  tubs,  with  her  homely 
heroism  and  true  kindness  of  heart. 

r2mo.    Picture  Cover. 


Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co.,  Boston 


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